The End.

I hate endings! I hate goodbyes! I'd like to live "in the middle of" forever! I'm not a person for change, although I knew this was an experience that would come to an end at some point. By nature, I am a person of routine so I do look forward to getting back into a regular schedule. This was one of the best summers ever and I am so thankful that our family got to experience life here. I know newly-minted 4-year-old Ava will remember just tid bits and 6-year-old Braden will remember a bit more, with 9-year-old Skylar remembering the most. I'm so thankful that they got to experience this and learn so much, not only from the historical things we saw and did but the little things like using British Pounds to pay--I did have the kids actually pay for a few things, hidden life experience right there! It truly was a never-ending learning experience, whether they realized it or not. Today (Friday) we said our goodbyes to Windsor. Went to Waitrose for the last time...steering a stroller while carrying an overloaded basket of goods is always a good time. I finally learnt ;-) where all "my things" were in that store. We said our farewells to the lady at Waitrose that always asked where we were from (like *every* time). We smiled at the staff at the children's clothing store who said they "couldn't get enough of the kids' accents"...they had wanted to keep them there all day just to listen to them talk! We had coffee at "our" favorite little cafe right across from the castle one last time...we walked around the rest of the town, on the bridge to Eton, waved goodbye to the swans, and played at "our" park one last time. I felt sad to give them one last push on the strange, yet fun web-like swing and close that heavy red gate for the last time. I loved the people--super outgoing, friendly, and interested. I got over the slight embarassment I felt every time the kids or I spoke and people turned around to look at us. I found it surprising when people commented on the kids accents--because again they are the ones with the accents, right?! ;-) I stood back and tried to hear what they were hearing, to no avail...but right back at them cuz when the little kids talked in their proper-sounding accent I always smiled. It will feel strange being one of the masses again! I loved the cobblestone streets, even if it did make for a bumpy ride in the stroller for my passenger. I loved the outdoor cafes, smoke and all. I think I must have second-hand smoked at least a pack of cigarettes by now, but I'm still standing! I enjoyed the weather, a welcome break from the heat and humidity that a Chi-town summer has to offer--it's slowly starting to dip even further here, hovering in the mid-60s with that ever-present gray cloud in the sky. However I *do* look forward to not automatically multiplying whatever I purchase by an approximate 1.5 due to the exchange rate...I look forward to the kids playing with friends, not just strangers they dubbed friends while meeting them out and about. I look forward to some American food, although after day 2 I'm sure I'll be longing for the food I've gotten used to here...I just need one decent hamburger, one I tell you! Then I'll be good to go. But most of all, as this was a huge work project for Mike, I look forward to more reasonable hours and actual weekends. It's been exhausting in that aspect exploring this great city mostly alone, with Mike coming home late, working while at home, and working 38 of the 42 days we were here.

So today was Mike's official "last day" here for this six-week stint, although he's already slotted to come back next month for a week's time. That means tomorrow is our last official day and what better way to spend it than in London as a family.

So tonight I bid Windsor farewell, as our exploring and enjoying of this great city is done.

Another venture--Museum of London and Hyde Park

Ah, so Sunday I had planned to take the kids to London again, and figured I would at least one more time this week before we say our farewells. Luckily Mike mentioned a coworker of his was off that day and planned to go to London as well. We met up at the Tube station and visited the Museum of London together!

I LOVED this museum and highly recommend it. First of all it's FREE, which is always a plus in this expensive city and secondly it was chock full of artifacts dating back to prehistoric times all the way through modern times. I loved that it was a chronological, visual, and tangible museum so you could really "walk through the timeline of London". It started out in the prehistoric times with artifacts and facts about that time period, then onward to the Roman times when the Romans conquered...the original part of the London Wall stood just outside the museum--the museum's address is actually London Wall. From there you got a glimpse into the medieval/Norman/Middle Ages time period (my favorite). Onward to learn about the Great Fire of London which occured in 1666...it lasted 5 days and about 70,000 homes/buildings were lost; however it is said that very few lives were lost. This may be due to the fact that back then the peasant's deaths were not recorded or they could have been cremated due to the fire. The fire started in a baker's shop on Pudding Lane. That Baker's company finally issued a formal apology for the fire in the 1980s! After the fire, insurance companies sprang up and if you did not don a plaque on your home stating that you in fact had your home insured the firefighters would not put out a fire. The fire definitely shaped London, it seemed to be that it burned Old London and a New London sprang up during the rebuild--one that was full of elegance and riches, although the wealthy were in the minority. This to me felt like "old" modern London. The period clothing were beautiful and in some cases just ridiculously ostentacious! One dress was so wide that the woman that wore it could not fit through the doorway! The saddest part was the era of WWII. Londoners suffered greatly, not just physically with their homes being lost, but emotionally as well. Children had to get fitted for gas masks and were often sent away to the countryside in a sort of "evacuation" from the now-dangerous city. Bombs fell during the night so a curfew was placed on lights so it would be harder for the enemies to see. This makes me so sad to think of all who suffered in WWII (and any war, but specifically this because it is in more modern times)...from the American lives lost fighting far away, to the English who were fighting basically in their own backyard, to the Germans due to my family connections. The suffering of innocent people is always tragic.......that said after WWII the Londoners were ready for some happy times ahead--bring on the 1950s! The Royal family remained popular due to their remaining in London during the War and not choosing to flee. Queen Elizabeth II had her coronation in 1952 and then London started entering more modern times. The clothing styles were quite a riot from the late 1960s on, many very Austin Powers-esque to say the least! All in all this was such an informative, clean, and well-displayed museum! I talked him into a coffee at the cafe where we spent a couple hrs! The kids hung out with some other children there so it worked out perfectly.

Medieval child's vest & mitten, glass creations during Roman times in London

From there the kids and I hopped the tube to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, which is probably the park I've been looking forward to taking them to the most. This is one of the richest areas in the world and the feel to this area of town is incredible. The gardens itself are rich, lush, and green--and the flowers were gorgeous! The playground provided good fun until the kids decided they absolutely must use the bathroom IMMEDATELY. I followed the signs to the bathrooms....and followed more, and more until we must have walked through the park for 1/2 hour...by this point we were beat, but luckily ahead--the bathrooms! From there we found the popular Peter Pan Statue, right across from the Long Water, where Barrie (the author of Peter Pan) is said to have drawn his inspiration from. It had a very "Peter Pan feel" to it, both the lake and the grounds across from it. It felt like a magical place and I didn't want to leave!

Trio at the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park Alas we were very tired from all of our walking and it was early evening--I definitely did not want to be alone in the dark by myself with the kids in London! So, we started to head out. I figured it may be easier to just walk to Paddington (where we catch our first train home and then transfer one more time) vs. taking a closer Tube to Paddington which often is more difficult than it's worth--seeing as how I have to collapse and carry the stroller, sometimes carry Ava, my bag, and keep a close eye on the other two as well. Up stairs and down stairs, escalators, corridors, etc....I opted to walk in the slowly setting sun and follow the signs to Paddington. It seemed a good idea at the time only I didn't realize how BIG this park was. We finally FINALLY got to the station, and the kids have a good eye-they all pointed the station out before I saw it! They have become such good little travelers, doing really well with crossing the roads, waiting at the crosswalk and knowing just when to cross, reading street signs and "helping" to figure out where to go. They are always paying attention to the lines in the Tube Stations and following the map inside the subway to see "how many stops left"...and then once at Paddington when we switch from Underground to train, 9-year-old Skylar has taken it upon herself to read the monitor to find our platform--she has been such a help! I am so thankful for this opportunity and it gives me such delight to know all the things the kids have learned here--not just from the obvious things like museums and sightseeing, but from living basically in a city--crossing roads, using public transportation, foreign money, and even knowing foreign words and phrases.

Just a few days left and not sure what else that is on my list of things to do we will get to cross off. Only time will tell :-)

So much to do, so little time left!

Well we have just one week left, leaving a week from tomorrow, back home to the USA, land of the free and home of the brave...and home of processed foods and driving everywhere vs. walking...and many other things! I have gotten used to life here although I admit I'm c-r-a-v-i-n-g a big, juicy American hamburger, drive thrus for those late-at-night-cravings, and ice in my drinks!It's the simple things...! What a wirlwind these past few weeks have been. I foolishly thought that, when I started this blog, I'd be able to keep up with it if not daily, then every couple of days. I know a couple weeks have passed and my apologies. We have, in fact, been exploring, enjoying company, and living up our last bit of time here! My friend, Sara, arrived a week and a half ago. It was so fun having her here, catching up and spending a lot of time together, more than we've had the time to do in recent years, and of course exploring London together! forever to find Harrod's...that place was awesome...it would be so fun to spend an entire day in there...but we had to eat and grabbed lunch at a great little Italian restaurant across the street, headed back to grab a couple things from Harrod's Food Halls (candy and souvenirs) and then on the tube to Tower of London. Tower of London. Gets all the hype due to it's infamous past, however there really wasn't so much to see. Again, had I not had free kids coupons I would have kicked myself for spending so much for this place! Being within the tower walls was very neat, seeing all the tiny stairwells and nooks and crannies and just knowing what took place there centuries ago. The crown jewels are kept there as well and were amazing to see. You are on a moving walkway, however, so there is no taking your time. You get your glimpse and keep on moving. No photos allowed, either! On Sunday we took a more leisurely day after having spent 3 days in a row in London and toured Windsor Castle. This was the kids' favorite thing we've toured yet and Sara's first castle tour so it was nice to do it again. On Monday we trekked to London again and went out to Greenwich, to the Royal Observatory to see the world's largest refracting telescope, timepieces thru the ages, and of course the Prime Meridian (0 degrees Longitude). There was a very long line to get to it, where photo enthusiasts gleefully placed one foot on each side of the brass bar in the ground (Prime Meridian) so one foot would be in the Eastern Hemisphere and one foot in the Western Hemisphere. We had just decided that the line was not worth it (it didn't appear to be moving!) and we went behind the roped area to leave when we realized we were over the line ourselves! We very *quickly* made a photo op out of this and called it done, happily so!

The kids at the Prime Meridian We ended the day spending the rest of the afternoon at Greenwich Park, a massive, old park with a large playground and full of beautiful old trees. This park used to be Henry VIII's hunting grounds some 600 years ago. Elizabeth's Oak is also located there, which is a felled 900+ year old oak tree in which a young Princess Elizabeth I would enjoy tea in. It is also believed to have been a tiny prison for those breaking park rules! Gotta love the history at every turn! Miss Ava turned FOUR on Thursday and we made last-minute plans to drive out to a nearby town for use of the hotel pool and couple it with a trek to Stonehenge. Loved Stonehenge, it was incredibly awe-spiring...you can't help but ponder the age-old question--just "how" did *they* get those big rocks up there? We got close and peeked through the fence as we opted to not pay the 20 Pounds for our family to get on the other side of the fence, as a few guidebooks have mentioned it's just not worth it. I suppose if it were just us, without the kids, it would be been enjoyable as they had an audio tour. But I only get to listen to about half of that as I'm helping adjust falling-off-headphones that are made about three sizes to big for my head...and you can imagine how big they are in the kids' heads! That said it was neat to see and I recommend it to anyone...just plan on visiting a nearby area (Bath, Bristol, or Cotswolds to name a few) and drive out to Stonehenge for a bit. That had been my original plan when envisioning a potential Stonehenge visit, however Mike had to work till noon that day and the next morning we had to get up at 6:30 to make it back home in time for him to get an early start at work again. Oh well, at least we came, we saw, and we conquered!

The days are just...cruisin' by!

Wow, I can hardly believe our stay here is half over...it has gone by quickly, yet in a strange way it doesn't feel like "just 3 weeks" that we've been here. We've done so much and seen so much it feels like we have months-worth under our belts. It's amazing how quickly you can acclimate to a completely different environment and way of life. I can't fully say that we are "living here" as the kids don't go to school here and we haven't had to do things like hook up electricity/cable, find a doctor/dentist/apply for healthcare...we are sort of in limbo between our American life and our short-term British life. Mike is off to work everyday (and this entire weekend was gone overnight for 3 nights, as the big start up of his company took place--and it went extremely well! Kudos to Mike and the rest of the team for months of hard work!) He has been driving to work every day and has gotten quite used to driving as opposite as they do from us in "The States". We have our regular places now--our cafes that we frequent, the grocery stores of which the kids will ask, "is it Marks & Spencer or Waitrose today, mom?" Depending on where we are headed that day they will happily skip ahead of me there, knowing the way. I realised (woops I really typed that without realiZing I typed it the British way!) just today that we haven't stopped at a drive-thru (haven't seen one!) nor been at a store after 6 pm (they close very early here...and I kinda like that!) The weather does not hold us in--because it's not extreme AND because, well, if you have some place to go you just go--that's what umbrellas are for! The kids have not complained much about all the walking--although just today one of them asked why we don't ever drive to stores anymore...but for the most part they have seemed to adapt well to our little life here. We frequent a park just around the corner and there have been a few regulars there that the kids happily play with...I try not to think about the day when it will be the last time we do all of these things, when our little time here is done. So I will just try to look forward to the fun that we will still have here! So in the days since I've posted we've been out and about everyday. I took the kids on a short little cruise on the River Thames here from Windsor to the Boveney Locks and back. They've also enjoyed bungee trampoline-ing--where they bounced attached to bungee cords high up on a trampoline and attempted a few flips in the air! Skylar, age 9, and Braden, age 6, had a blast but Miss Ava, age 3, was a tad more reserved--which always surprises me as she can be the craziest one of the bunch! But she insisted on being the first to go and I think if she would have watched her sister and brother go first she would have allowed herself to go much higher! We've enjoyed a lot of time at the park and the Long Walk that leads up to Windsor Castle; watching airplanes take off from nearby Heathrow; the kids have come to play hide-and-go-seek tag behind some big trees at the park; we feed the swans at the river; walk the footbridge to Eton...all on our "easy days". I took the kids to London again as well. This time to the Natural History Museum. The museum is expansive and takes up an entire city block. The architecture of this building was stunning and I could have just looked at it forever...but alas the attention span of my offspring wouldn't allow for that so in we went. There was a very long line just to get in--this was a free museum, as many of them are in London, so I was not that surprised...especially since all of the kids are (finally!) off school here for their whopping 6-weeks of summer holiday, which means everything has become much more crowded in the last week or so. Well the wait was worth it as we got to see dinosaurs (Braden's fave), minerals, gems and crystals (Skylar and Ava's favorite), and mammals, Darwin's theories on evolution, and many other things. I also am really intrigued how this museum, as well as the Natural History Museum in Washington, DC (Smithsonian) and many other museum here in London (and probably other places as well) are free, yet the Natural History Museum in Chicago (The Field) has a high entrance fee...one of these museum websites in London that I visited said that the museum's collections were a gift to the public--I loved that. I think I'll boycot The Field now. I am also looking forward to my friend, Sara, arriving tomorrow morning! We have a week of London fun ahead of us and I'm so excited that she gets to experience this with me...I can't wait to show her around here! The kids are really excited, too! I would like to extend this opportunity to anyone else who would like to visit here as well :-P C'mon...I cook AND do laundry...what more could you ask for? ;-)

The National Gallery and King's Cross Station

Today was my first time taking the kids into London alone. At ages 9, 6, and 3 this is somewhat of a challenge, especially considering the stroller that needs to be carried up all those stairs and escalators we encountered, as well as hands of little ones that need to be held, tickets to be distributed, collected, and redistributed (we counted 11 times today)! We take a short, 5-minute train to Slough, transfer to get on a 20 min train to London-Paddington, and from there hop on whatever Tube will take us to where we need to go. We also decided to go to King's Cross/St. Pancras in the late afternoon so Skylar could see her beloved Platform 9 3/4, being the Harry Potter fan that she is! One thing I learned is do not, I repeat do not decide to go home during rush hour! I did not even pay attention to the time when I realized that we were in literally a sea of people in the Tube stations...when I realized that it was 5 pm, aka quittin' time for all the workin' folks downtown, it was too late as we were already engulfed--and we better move! So, our first stop at our arrival in London was Trafalgar Square where the National Gallery is located. The Gallery is free (a big plus in this expensive city!) and full of beautiful, old, and interesting art. I have to say Skylar, age 9, was somewhat interested, although after a while painting after painting of strange-looking people (admit it, they were weird looking 500 years ago!) was getting a little monotonous even for an art-lover like her. Braden, age 6, was another story...he liked a few but I think he had his fill of naked cherub's early on! Miss Ava, well, I guess you can't expect a 3-year-old to appreciate the paintings after about 5 minutes! But let's not forget about mom! Mom has an opinion, too! I loved it! I could have stayed for hours. I loved how some artists are able to perfectly capture light. Others bring facial expressions to life. The impressionist art section was my favorite. I absolutely love Claude Monet's paintings, with the water lillies and Japanese bridge being my favorite:



We also saw a drawing from Leondaro da Vinci, which was incredible as well. A funny one was of a jolly old man with white hair and beard (are you picturing Santa? 'Cause that is *just* what he looked like!) only he was NAKED and falling over drunk! The kids laughed out loud and asked what Santa was doing? I finally said, let's go! I do love art, but sometimes even I don't "appreciate" it! From there I had a coffee at the cafe while the kids dined on water and jellybeans. While relaxing, I whipped out my uber handy London Children's map...Skylar had been wanting to visit King's Cross/St. Pancras station to see the famous platform 9 3/4 that takes you to Hogwart's. We figured out how to get there via Tube Thankfully a worker there happily showed us exactly where to go! It was really cool to see! She was in awe that this was the station that J.K. Rowling drew her inspiration from. S at King's Cross Station We had just enough picture taking and oohing and ahhing time before a large group found it and started their picture taking escapades so we decided it was time to head home. Three tube transfers and two train transfers later we are home sweet home...well home for now. We felt a relief when we got off at the calm Windsor station, compared to the hustle and bustle of London. It was so nice and peaceful and familiar. Funny enough Skylar just said today, "this feels like home"...

Londontown, Hampton Court Palace, and LegoLand!

These past few days we've been on-the-go. Saturday, Mike, the kids, and I went to London and toured it via a red double-decker bus. I highly recommend this to tour the city as we got great commentary to learn about the city and landmarks and we could hop-off and hop-on at any stop we wished. My favorite thing to see was Big Ben, which is actually neither the clock, nor the tower, but the large bell inside. Buckingham Palace was less "grandiose" than I expected...it is actually sitting on 42 acres, but appears to be so close to the road...I suppose I expect all Palaces to be on lush, green property, set back far from any traffic. The busiest thing we saw was Picadilly Circus. And I had a twinge of homesickness when we zoomed pass the American Embassy, which the guide mentioned is the only American Embassy on rented property. Seeing the American flag fly high above made me smile :) On Sunday we visited Hampton Court Palace, which was one of Henry VIII's favorite palaces. The funny thing Henry VIII seized it from Thomas Wolsey once Thomas fell from Henry's favor. Paintings of Henry's beloved son and much-desired heir-to-the-throne, Prince Edward, his parents, King Henry VII and Elizabeth, and his grandmother hung in his state apartments. This Palace really felt like an real, old castle. The wine cellar was replicated with faux wine barrels, stored in a naturally climate-controlled environemtn. Once down in the cellar you could feel the cool castle air and smell the cool dirt beneath the flooring - it was almost a little scary to the kids! The Tudor kitchens were interesting, too--they had faux food out that looked extremely real, one room was the butcher room where red meat layed around waiting for the butcher to chop it smaller. Another vast room held many herbs (real) perfect for smelling and getting a taste for what the real thing tasted like. A real wood fire was burning and large cast iron skewers made for cooking large amounts of meat were ready to cook (for real!) The kitchens were massive and were made to feed the 600 people of the court allowed to eat twice daily.

Here's a video from youtube if you are interested in seeing more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIIPQnQgFqI&feature=channel Today the kids and I hit up LegoLand Windsor (Lego-themed themepark) for a day of fun in the sun, roller-coaster riding, and even some Lego shopping. The entrance is built atop a large hill so you get a grand view of Windsor, Heathrow, and London in the distance. My favorite part was Miniland, which is Europe and the USA recreated in millions of little Legos. No pictures here as I didn't want to haul my camera along for this day of fun! We have been so busy these last few days that I think I may need a vacation from vacation :)

Windsor Castle and The Windsor Wheel

Today we toured the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, Windsor Castle. It is one of Queen Elizabeth II's favorite residences and is over 900 years old. We all got the audio headsets which made it a fun and educational experience. I just love castles -- the mystery and history -- thinking back to all those people who once lived and dined and danced and carried on. Some are now buried at St. George's Chapel which is on the castle grounds. My absolute favorite part was seeing King Henry VIII's suit of armor, all short and stubby! That guy was insane, however for some reason I find him intriguing as well. Queen Mary's dollhouse was amazing to say the least. Also Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret's doll collection and clothes (including some designed by Dior) puts American Girl to shame! The girls oohed and ahhed over that section. Six-year-old Braden was so impressed with all the swords and guns from knights of an era gone by. The way the swords, guns, and armor were displayed took up many state apartments. Everywhere you turned were suits of armor of one kind or another. There were gigantic tapestries on the walls, not only to be displayed as a piece of art (as they were intricately designed and actually looked more like paintings than tapestries) but in the days before the castle had heat it helped to keep the cold out.

The drawing and photograph collection were on display -- my favorite was witnessing the incredible talent of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings. The professional photographs of Queen Elizabeth as a child through adulthood with her own children, Charles and Anne, were touching as well.

Lastly, we stopped into St. George's Chapel, which is also the church Prince Edward and Sophie got married in among many other famous unions. Several funerals have taken place there as well, and many royals are buried there, including Henry VIII. In fact, we stood right above his remains! In the evening, once Mike got home, we went on The Windsor Wheel, a ferris wheel near the River Thames. It was a beautiful view from up there, but I almost didn't go, yet I couldn't just pack my family on without me! So I put on my (not so) brave face and actually enjoyed it--luckily I had my camera to play with till it was over ;-)