Day Eight: Change in the Guards Schedule

From the mid point of our trip, it's been getting harder and harder to wake up early. Vacations sure are exhausting ventures. However, we got up anyway so we could get a good spot along the gate to watch the changing of the guards.

Guards at Buckingham Palace, London 2017

The Queen's Gates at Buckingham Palace 2017

The travel book suggests getting to Buckingham Palace by 10:30am to get a spot on the gate; so we did. Travel Tip: Once you get there, double check that the guards will be changing and what time; in the winter the guards only change every other day. This morning the sign said the guards would be changing at 11:30am so we took our places at the gates and began writing out our postcards to friends and family at home.

Apparently, it is wise to occasionally look behind you to be sure that sign does not suddenly change (seriously, what are the odds the sign will change from Today to Tomorrow for the changing of the guards?). A palace employee came along and spoke softly to us and others up against the gate saying the guards would actually not be changing today, they will be changing tomorrow, but to go along the road to see the queen's horses move down the road. So, we did that instead (not as grand, but not nothing). Moral of the Story: Don't wait until the last day of your trip to see the change of the guards, the schedule may change on you. Luckily, we have one or two more times we can catch this attraction.

Queen's Horses, London 2017

When your itinerary says: Buckingham Palace/Changing of the Guards in the morning and 2pm High Tea and it's only 11am; it's time for Plan B. (Take a deep breath: it will be okay)

Thumbs Up, it's all good, London 2017

Walk through Green Park (stop for hot chocolate and coffee, have only a minor translation issue when your husband tries to order a Cafe Ole and the lady gets frustrated and tells him it's just a Flat White--realize his simple drink goes by many names: Starbucks calls it a Cafe Misto; he calls it a Cafe Ole, and here it's just a Flat White--) then walk up to Piccadilly and buy tickets for the Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tours because it seems like the thing to do to get a better idea of the city (Truly, the buses are iconic to the city, try to ride one at some point if you can). Travel Tip: Trust us, sit upstairs or downstairs, just make sure it's covered if you're going in January. The first half we were covered upstairs, the second half (different bus) we were uncovered and froze through the journey.

Up front on the London Tourist Bus, 2017

What you look like (and feel like) when you ride inside (covered).

What you look and feel like sitting outside in 34 degree London

Make Note: By day eight in your vacation, your children will take advantage of every WiFi opportunity and miss much of the history being spouted and most of the sights (it doesn't matter, you are on vacation too, let them busy themselves and take in as much as you would if you hadn't brought the children, and then tell them all about what you learned when you walk back to the hotel from Buckingham Palace in the afternoon).

It's not just a kid-vacation, it's your vacation too, take a moment and enjoy!

Travel Challenge: Sit on the bus for a bit. Try taking pictures from a new perspective. Maybe try to look around through the eyes of a Londoner, what would stand out to you? Tourists?

Tourists Flocking into London? Or, residents returning from holiday?

Travel Thought: Shouldn't a Technology and Research Institute appear more technologically advanced? It must be awesome inside.

London Institute of Technology & Research, 2017

Red Line/Blue Line: There are two different types of buses that run: the red and blue lines. The red line has a guide (actual person) speaking over microphone in English; the blue line requires headphones and has options for a variety of translations. We rode both. If you get on the blue line, pick up your headphones on the way to your seat. When you get off the bus do one of two things: either pocket the headphones like the audio guide says to do; or, place them on top of the bus stop as other tourists have done...(we kept ours).

Keep your headphones? Or, put them on the bus stop from the top deck? What would you do?

Get off the bus and make your way to your High Tea reservation at any lovely tea house or hotel (do research and make reservations in advance, if possible). We chose Le Meridien Hotel and ordered the afternoon tea for two and the kid's afternoon tea. Travel Tip: In London, the addresses are challenging to understand, we've learned. One side of the street is going up in numbers; the other side is going down (this is true for at least two streets we've been on while looking for addresses).

Le Meridien Hotel, High Tea, Piccadilly, London 2017

Travel Tip: each pick different flavored teas and enjoy taste testing what each other ordered. Realize that your afternoon tea felt a lot like an early dinner and prepare not to eat again until very late on this day. The kid's menu is very interactive and fun at Le Meridien. It is a jungle theme and the pastries are designed to be interactive. The boys frosted their pastries and assembled them into different types of creatures, as was expected by design.

Nolan sipping his Chamomile in London 2017

Even boys like High Tea in London 2017

Nolan's High Tea creature Piccadilly 2017

Fischer's High Tea Snake Pastry (Self Made), Piccadilly 2017

After tea time, you will want to walk off everything you've just ingested. You've only toured this section of town by bus in the daylight, by the time you are finished with tea it will be dark out and you'll have a chance to see the city all lit up and at it's liveliest this time of year. Take in the sights and sounds of the street performers; check your shopping list, go into a souvenir shop and find something fun and interesting.

Nolan intrigued by the street artists, London 2017

Realize the kids have no more energy as they keep asking you to flag a taxi down, until you come upon the M&M store--go inside and make it to all four levels of the store and wonder why the M&M store needs to be this big, but enjoy it at the same time (they pump chocolate scent through the ventilation to make it seem like a factory, if you grew up in the 1980s, it smells like a chocolate scratch and sniff sticker).

Our Fischer M&M, London 2017

Travel Tip: The M&M packing room is downstairs along with other interactive attractions; you will have fun with that area. Realize that your children no longer want a taxi and they no longer want to go back to the hotel (possibly, they never want to leave the M&M store).

M&M Packing Facility, London 2017

Walking down Abby Road with M&Ms, London 2017

Even though you didn't get to see the Changing of the Guards; you had a fun and interactive adventure with the kiddos and can now say you rode a double-decker bus through London.

Stay tuned, will we ever get to see the changing of the guards during this trip to London?

Day Seven: Making Ourselves at Home in England

We settled in for a long journey on the Eurostar train to England from France yesterday; which we quickly learned was not at all necessary; we were there in less than two hours.

Arriving in England from France

Travel Tip: If you can afford to pull it off, go business class on the Eurostar and do not go to the dining car and purchase bagged food, otherwise, you will end up like The McGehee's Abroad and eat two meals in less than an hour. First we shared sandwiches, pasta, and soup; and then business class was served full meals (quiche or chicken, with side dish, bread and mousse). But do use the restroom in business class because it is roomier than your hotel room in France (according to James); and then take a stroll from business class to coach and see how narrow and tight the quarters are and be thankful you were able to upgrade on this leg of the journey even though it wasn't necessary (thanks, Dad/James!). Now you know coach (from going to Belgium and back) and business class (from going to England).

Before you even get out of the train station, enjoy watching your husband find the perfect shoes since he bought you the perfect bottle of parfum in France:

James' Shoes from Dune London

Travel Tip: Don't be afraid to travel with a group of five to London; the taxis all carry five to six people. Love the fact that the payment is made by credit card in the taxi, quick and easy, no fumbling with bills and coins.

It was dinner hour when we arrived at our hotel in SoHo. We are staying at The Strand Palace. The hotel is lovely and spacious, more formal than France, but less quaint. No one here will know us from one day to the next. They won't ask how our day trip was or check to see if they can call you a taxi; not because they aren't friendly here, but because this hotel feels like a Las Vegas hotel with many employees who are trying their best to be professionals. In France, the closet-like hotel we were in and its employees had become our home and our family. When we came back from Belgium and there was a different person at the desk than we were used to, we asked for our room key and he asked how Belgium was as a courtesy. This is what we will miss about France. But, for this week, The Strand Palace is our home and it feels good to be here.

Being in England, after going through two countries that speak foreign languages, is like seeing an old friend and catching up after twenty years: familiar but a complete stranger all the same.

More than once, before leaving the states, I had been told that the food was bland in England and to be prepared. I will have to disagree. Perhaps we have found some real gems for eateries, or maybe we were just so sick of French food (not our favorite--cheese is not that interesting anymore) that we feel like the food in London is like a home cooked meal in one respect (meat pies, bangers, mash, gravy, fish, chips) and a trendy, foodie paradise.

On the first night we shared meat pies, mash and beans: (And the Coca-Cola tastes more like American Coca-Cola than the French or Belgium Coca-Cola).

Meat Pies and Mash, SoHo, England 2017

And on the first day, we had lunch by the tower bridge where they served fish and chips on faux newspapers:

Perkins Fish and Chips, London 2017

Both meals were packed with flavor and were just right (no cheese).

However, if you've been away from home for over a week, you will still be looking for a bit of America in the food you crave. Tonight for dinner we ended up at the first of twenty locations of Wahaca near the hotel which serves designer Mexican foods.

Cheers! The first full day in England was a success!!!

Sharing food is a great feeling.

And you won't feel bad about straying from some kind of traditional British food because you had a traditional English breakfast at the hotel in the morning and you are doing your best to keep sugar out of your Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas, plus, remember, you and England are long lost friends; not complete strangers. After all, last night you just watched the British version of Shark Tank (Dragon Den) and forgot you weren't at home in bed on a regular night. Travel Challenge: If you are also trying to find a matchbook to satisfy your travel scavenger hunt challenges, it will seem like no one hands out matchbooks anymore until you end up at the Wahaca restaurant, and they hand out matchbooks which are actually Serrano pepper seed growing kits. Enjoy how excited your kids are to scratch this off their list of hunt items.

Day One England:

We've been using Rick Steve's Pocket London book plus our own travel itinerary to get around England. Travel Tip: At the back of the book there is a map of London. The night before, coordinate your itinerary to achieve certain tasks that are located closest to each other so you are not going from one area to another unreasonably. England is not like France or Belgium, everything you want to see is not within walking distance.

We grouped our Tower of London and Tower Bridge Skywalk Tour together. Buy your tickets online for both events. We didn't buy Tower of London tickets until the night before and printed at the hotel, either way (weeks in advance or the night before doesn't matter), just buy them in advance and then plan on going close to the opening of the Tower of London first. This is where the crown jewels are located. It takes about 2 hours to walk around the Tower of London, but seeing the crown jewels could take you up to 45 minutes longer. People in Europe, so far as we can tell, do not get up early in the morning. This attraction is very busy around lunch time. So, if you get there in the morning, you will walk right in to see the crown jewels without any wait.

This is the line you didn't have to stay in because you woke up early to see the crown jewels

Travel tip: You cannot photograph in many areas of the Tower of London. Your photos of the crown jewels may look similar to ours:

Best Possible Pic of the Crown Jewels: Tower of London

But, you can get other great pictures in and around the Tower of London that will make up for it:

 You will have some fun taking pictures with your kids at the Tower of London. Madeline will convince you girls don't need a night in shining armor; just a horse, a cell phone, and a couple of friends.

 The boys will not be able to stop laughing when they come upon the armory and Henry VIII's armor.

 Each of you will take turns posing in medieval doorways. You will think you can pull off sexy, but then not be able to keep a straight face and then realize later you like just being yourself listening to the audio guide:

Travel tip: Your oldest son will see Ravens eating dead mice in cages from where you are on the walkway above and then beg to go below and see them up close. You will be like, "We came to see the castle not a bird eating dead things." And then you will eventually go and see the Ravens (because this child will otherwise annoy you for the rest of the day if you don't) and then go, "Duh!" Because the Ravens are part of the castle tour. So, go there, see the Ravens, and find out what they mean to the castle. It's a must!

After the Tower of London, you walk over to the Tower Bridge and stand in the longest line of your trip so far (15 minutes). Why 15 minutes only? Two reasons: you bought your tickets online. And, you are walking the stairs to the skywalk, not taking the lift. Travel Tip: Pay two pounds for a cup of hot caramelized nuts and then proceed to the bridge. Travel Challenge: See how many times your boys laugh at the word "nuts" and how many times they use "nuts" in a sentence and laugh; then see how many times your daughter rolls her eyes at them.

Travel Tip: There are two sections of the glass skywalk. After the first one, you can get a sticker for walking on it from an information lady. (Travel Challenge: Keep one for your journal, and then watch the kids stick the others to each others backs and see who can go the longest without knowing it's there). The other walkway is less crowded and leaves room for more picture taking. Don't forget to go to the Engine Room down the street by the gift shop, it's interesting too.

Don't forget to get a view of the Thames river from small windows on the bridge:

Even though you've just completed only two monuments, realize that it took you all day and you've walked about five miles throughout the day and you're tired. Reward yourselves with a nap back at the hotel before dinner. Realize, you're still several days away from the end of your trip.

Day Six: Au Revoir France - Cheerio, England!

Happy New Year, 2017! Let me try to get this spelling French thing correct, Bonne Annee!

Doing New Years in France:

It should be done, at least once in a lifetime. I've done New York in the past with my high school theater group (1996--woot, woot! Love you, Mr. Johnson!), and so I can see a big difference in the way things are done between the two countries in their iconic places of new year celebrations. France is great. It lacks some pizzazz. That's the thing about France though. In our opinion it relies too heavily on it's monuments and not enough on including contemporary flare to it's festivities. This may be why we felt we left our hearts in Belgium. In Brussels the history is seen in the background; the smells and sounds, the entity of the people moving together as one unit, are contemporary, alive, inviting. There is nothing smug about Belgium. So, when you arrive back in France on their biggest night you expect some fanfare, some music, some confetti shooting off the buildings---none of this. They wait until thirty-minutes before the shebang and then convert the Arch d'Triumph into a mega-tron showcasing various French iconography and then begin the countdown from the last digit of the new year. So, we were waiting and rehearsing our countdown from ten in French when suddenly there was a seven and then down the clock dwindled. The crowd was equally confused and unprepared so it seemed quiet for such a celebration. The fireworks were wonderful and we really appreciated being where we were. Unforgettable.

Oh, here's the confetti. New Year Hangover in France no where near the Arch d'Triumph 2017

Travel tip: You will want to remember that you should dress very warm before leaving for the evening. Everyone will understand this except for your teenage daughter who will throw a fit about having to add more layers (function over form will elude her, she will kiss and make up with you later, I promise). Even with the added layers, super awesome long johns, gloves, ear warmers, hats, scarves, boot socks, boots, and heavy coats, you will think you are freezing to death. Try this: Burn calories by jumping up and down in place. Wear yourselves out, you still have almost two hours to go before the countdown. Instead, enjoy how close your angry (cold) teenage daughter is getting and how close your second born son is getting and then get a selfie, they may never be so willing to get this close again.

Brrr! Cold in France on New Year's Eve 2016

 Although unplanned, we realized that our mishap from the day before (sleeping in until after 10am and being wakened by the maid in Brussels) ended up working well for staying up until 1am in France for new year's. The one thing we did plan for was keeping ourselves busy at least until two hours before the countdown. We took a "snacking cruise" on the river Seine from 7pm to 8:30pm. Really, it's more of a dinner cruise but in bag lunch form. They hand you a huge bag of food (four types of sandwiches, a banana, and a skewer of macaron cookies each (that's 20 sandwiches, 5 bananas, 25 cookies). All of the sandwiches except one is some kind of salmon salad, pate, or clam chowder type of filling. They are great though. Adults get a glass of champagne, kids get sodas. Before the cruise the kids will say, "Why are we getting a snack on a cruise when we should be getting dinner," after the cruise the kids will say, "That was way more than a snack."

The bridge just ahead has the letter 'N' on each side. River Seine Cruise 2016

River Seine Cruise Travel Tip: Go upstairs after you eat, enjoy the brisk air, listen to the history being told over the speakers about all of the buildings on the Seine ("The Louvre on the Left Bank puts only 14% of their art on display for the public....") But, don't forget to take a blanket to wrap around you (even in all your extra clothes you'll need it). Realize, just for a moment, that there is snow falling on you. Marvel for minute about the snow that morning in Brussels while you got your breakfast waffle and how the Belgian lady said, "Oh my, it hasn't snowed in Brussels in two years."

Afterward, walk up and out through the Trocadero. See the Eiffel Tower sparkling and hear the crowds cheering every time the lights blink. Follow the crowds, they are headed to the Champs Elysee and toward the Arch d'Triumph. Be happy, you have arrived before brunt of the crowds. You are very close to the Arch. You won't realize this until you look behind you.

Ahead of you. 

Behind You

Travel tip: There are bag and coat checks throughout while getting to the Arch and no glass bottles allowed. They don't just have you drop your alcohol at the check point, there is no trash, you just get turned away. We breezed through while others went away.

Okay, so it's the new year. The crowd is dispersing. You are 25 minutes, at least, from your hotel by foot. You think, maybe a taxi? And then realize just as quickly that at least 300,000 other people might think the same thing. You are happy when you settled in for the hike when you breeze past all the taxis trying to get through traffic. Plus, if you hadn't walked, you would have missed this final attraction:

RIP Lady Diana

Travel Tip: If you are a big fan of Lady Diana, you can also hang a love lock on the chains around her memorial.

In the morning on the first, you wake late, but it's okay. The breakfast starts late. You have also prepared for this fairly well, your Eurostar tickets aren't until 2:30pm. You stow your luggage in the Bagagerie by the front desk and go on a final walk about. It is 11am, you think there has been an apocalypse and your family are the only survivors because on January 1st in Paris, France, everyone is still sleeping at 11am, and all the shops are closed, but you remember too that this January 1 is on Sunday. Is this what Sundays are like in Paris? You keep moving, enjoy the peace and quiet. You think you've found yourself in France:

James in France 2017

You are getting sentimental. You can see yourself driving around the city on a Vespa.

The boys and their Vespa, France 2017

After all, you already know where the laundromat is, because this is where you did the laundry yesterday (thank James!!! Doing laundry while I was writing the blog post yesterday). Travel tip: Bring your own laundry detergent (we brought travel Woolite, yay me for reading other travel blogs in advance).

Laundromat France 2017

So, you begin to think: I can live here. And then you open your mind up to this idea and see the real estate postings in the window. It's meant to be. But, wait, C'est combien? For 290 square feet (two hundred and ninety, just to be sure), you pay 1,250 euro ($1350 US) per month. Well, it was nice imagining France for a moment, but that closet space is just going to have to wait until the next life. Travel tip: remember, you liked Belgium better anyway and so you head to Paris Nord (train station) and get your passport stamped twice (bye, bye France; hello, England). And then hop on the Eurostar, you're headed for the Chunnel, no looking back.

1,250 euro for 290 square feet apartment in France

Kids waiting for the Eurostar at the train station France 201

***Any misspellings are only due to lack of ability to access proper Internet for research. But, we apologize if we look daffy in any of our foreign spellings, it's hard not to be a stupid American from time to time.