Saturday, December 27, 2008

Shirley and George Visit the UK, Part I











On Saturday, Noah and I walked downtown to pick up our 7-seater rental car. Although the car would be average-sized on American roads, it was a boat in Bath. So, it was not easy navigating the stick-shift behemoth through the tiny, twisty streets. On the way home, Noah and I did make a stop by the farmers market for some fresh bread, olives, veggies, and fruit before heading home.

Noah accompanied me to the train station to pick up Shirley and George. As the throng of train travels came down the passageway, we heard screeching and saw a crazy American woman waving her arms and running for us. Big hugs were shared. Once we settled at home, the 6-person crew headed for a little walk to Sham castle before dinner.

As mom and George slept in and the kids played, Rachelle and I went to a pre-Christmas party. We enjoyed mulled wine and minced meat pies with some friends. We returned home and rounded up the troops for a tour of two of the more famous pagan sites for the winter's solstice - Stonehenge and Avbury. Along with a handful of Druids, we made our pilgrimage to Stonehenge and mom and George enjoyed walking around the stone circle on the blustery day. Avebury is a small town, which sits within the large stone circle that dates back to around 2100 BC. As we walked among the huge stones, we enjoyed the Druids with their robes, beards, staffs, drums, and loud howls to nature.

The following day we walked around downtown Bath (see picture of Noah and Shirley by the Royal Crescent) and popped into the Roman Baths for a tour. We then left mom and George and their bathing suits at the modern Bath Therme Spa for their Hannukah present of an evening of jacuzzis, steam rooms, warm pools, and a light meal. They came home serene and slept well.

On Tuesday, we headed into the Cotswalds. First, we stopped for lunch and a walk around Bibury, one of the handful of towns claiming "England's Prettiest Town" honors. See video. We then drove to Upper Slaughter to do the Slaughter Ramble - a mile walk between Upper and Lower Slaughter. The walk follows a brook with stone bridges and lined with small stone homes. Although the Cohens had done these trips before, it was quite different in the winter. That said, the drop in temperature did not keep Noah and Liv out of the creek. That evening we attended Chris Tingle at St. Stephens Church. Together with a crowd of Bath folks, we sang Christmas songs and the kids held oranges with candles stuck in the middle. Noah and Liv enjoyed seeing some of their mates and we introduced the grandparents around to some of our friends. I guess that George and Rachelle did not get their Jesus fill, and they headed downtown for a midnight mass at the Bath Abbey. The place was packed, but by some divine intervention, someone plucked Rachelle and George out of the crowd and let them sit on the stage for the event. They came home late but glowing from the experience.



On Wednesday we split up. I stayed home with Liv and Noah - who had had enough of site seeing - and Rachelle took the grandparents to Wells (see picture of George and Shirley by the Wells Cathedral). Mom and George loved the ancient cathedral and medieval town. They also had a pleasant grownup, slow-paced meal without the kiddies.

Christmas morning was full of present opening and snuggling in front of the tree. We then walked around the empty downtown Bath and ended the tour with some time at the Royal Victoria park, where the kids could run wild. This was especially memorable for Shirley's trip down the big slide. We all witnessed her shoot out of the tube like a bullet and come to rest flat on her back safely in the dirt about 3 feet from the end of the slide. In the late afternoon, I set up the new badminton net (Christmas present from grandpa Mike and grandma Janina). Noah could not get enough and repeatedly challenged us to matches until bedtime. See the picture of Shirley in action.

Boxing Day (the day after Christmas when you box up things for charity) was another divide and conquer day. I took Shirley and George to Castle Combe (another town that claims to be the prettiest in England) and Rachelle stayed home with the little rascals. Mom, George, and I enjoyed walking through the gorgeous town, another grownup meal, and and then we went for a hike. We bought a guide book of walks and the woman told us that this particular walk was very well marked and we couldn't get lost (cue foreboding music). After a few miles of hiking, we did get lost. Fortunately, there was a fit Brit family of 5 who had a better map and we followed them. They were confident that we would not get lost (cue music score again). The band of 8 got lost (off the map) and ended up in a pretty and tiny town with a great church and a peacock. We followed a road, occasionally stepping into the weeds to avoid cars, and eventually found our way back to Castle Combe.

Boxing Day dinner was a great feast held in the Parkin residence shared space. Kevin, Janet, and Kaidyn joined us for the lighting of the Hannukah candles and a dinner of salmon, vegetable pie, salad, mushrooms, good wine and beer, and lots of other goodies. There were plenty of desserts including yummy chocolate oranges, minced-meat pies, chocolate pies, and pumpkin pie (Shirley smuggled in 2 cans of pumpkin from the U.S. for Rachelle). Before we were able to fully digest the wonderful meal, Noah managed to coax Kevin, George, and me outside into the cold for a 2 on 2 badminton game. We all slept well that night, and were excited about our upcoming trip to the English coast.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Merry Christmas from St. Stephens

The entire St. Stephens school, all 420 4- to 11-year-olds, went to the St. Stephens Church to sing some Christmas songs. Tears of joy and pride flowed from the cluster of proud parents sitting in the balcony. Here is a brief video of the singing. For those of you with keen eyes trying to pick out the 2 yanks in the chorus, Noah is sitting in the second to last row farthest to the left and Liv is halfway down from the front in the last row before the break in seats and two in from the center aisle.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Cheesy Belvedere Boys











Belvedere Boys

Friday night was the Belvedere Football Club Christmas party at our dear Belvedere pub. The group of 14 raucous footballers had a room to ourselves, which surely pleased the other pub patrons. After enjoying some good English ales, chips, pizza, and other food, we divided up for a pool tournament. Some context: 1) I was randomly assigned the poorest shooter on the team. 2) The Brit pool tables are small, the balls are small, and the balls are either red or yellow with no numbers or stripes. 3) There are Brit rules that change the whole strategy of the game. For example, if you scratch, the opponent gets two free shots. You also do not have to call your shots. Despite these challenges, our hero was a sharp shooter, losing in the finals for both the doubles and singles tourneys.

I am not sure if it was our wrestling around and loud behavior, continued flirting with the female bartenders, or the belting out of the Welsh national anthem by our 2 Welshmen, but the friendly bar owner booted us out of the Belvedere at 1am (see the picture of him above earlier in the evening). Along with the 2 bar maids (one in the picture), the team of tipsy boys found their way downtown to a dance club where we thoroughly embarrassed ourselves on the dance floor. Actually, it wasn't really embarrassing for me until Sunday in the pre-game locker room when a few players imitated how "Americans dance". Let me just apologize to any American readers of this blog for my setting of a poor example of American fancy footwork. Eventually, Neil, Andy, and I hopped into a cab to be taken home. We didn't make it too far before Neil angered the cabbie, who tossed us from his car. Neil managed to bite his tongue for the second ride, and I was snuggled in bed by 4am.

Cheddar

After a few weekends at home, Rachelle and I were ready for a UK adventure. Admittedly, I was only partially ready on this Saturday morning after my Belvedere Friday night. That said, I was sufficiently alert to help Rachelle in a 30-minute battle, using bribes and threats as ammo, with our two little homebodies. Finally, Noah and Liv caved to the pressure and joined us in the Clio for a drive to Cheddar, home of Cheddar cheese. We all enjoyed the views - especially Liv who could see herself climbing the rock faces - as we wound down into the Cheddar Gorge (see picture) and parked in the quaint little town. Our first stop was in the Cheddar caves, which I was glad to note did not smell at all like cheese. Although touristified with animated Santas and lights, the vast cave (we walked over a quarter mile into the cave) with the beautiful stalagmites and stalactites and rock formations was awesome. We then had a great lunch at a little tea shop.

Before going on the cliff top walk, we grabbed some provisions at the Cheddar Sweet Shop. The hike, which starts with "Jacob's Ladder" - 274 steps up the wall of the gorge - provided gorgeous views over the terrain. The walk was a bit more adventurous than we expected, as the rocks and mud were slick, and we ended up taking a number of tumbles and slides. Luckily, we ended up only dirty and the candy did not get lost or smooshed (see video). On the way home - with some strong parental encouragement - Noah wrote a note stating, "I have fun when we go on family trips. IT'S TRUE!"



Back to Belvedere

If you are wondering, the Sunday pre-game locker room spirit was high with exaggerated tales of our Friday night gathering. One thing that we puzzled over was how Neil lost his scarf, I ended up with a new scarf, and that these were not the same scarf. Side note - The Brits are big on scarfs. After our prior 4-game spiral, the boys pulled it together for a great 3-1 win for the final game before the holiday break.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Born in a Barn



Irreparable Damage

I believe I might have killed the old Ms. Dangerfield morning round-up routine. Ever since I asked if I could record her, and, well, did my spot-on imitation for her. The long, deep, loud, proud postured, "Gooood Morning Children!" is now a flat, self-conscious, slumped, "Good morning children." The crisp and confident "Line up smartly now" has morphed into a meek variety of other soft-pedaled phrases, such as "Line up...uh...astutely" or "Line up...beautifully." Noah told me that she informed his class that she was going to go through the alphabet using a different adjective each day.

Well, the kids have noticed the change, and not just my kids. I have heard other kids muttering, "Ms. Dangerfield sounds different." and "Something isn't right." Some of the kids sneak suspicious glances at me. I fear that they know I am the culprit who zapped Ms. Dangerfield's mojo.

I am not sure if it is reversible. If I ask her if I offended her or comment on the change, it will just further increase her self-monitoring. Oh, what a mess.

The Cohen Kids Find Jesus

In case you did not know, the English public school system is linked tightly to the Church of England. So, there are regular assemblies each week when the children get some good ole Christianity brainwashing. I recently found Noah and Liv arguing about whether Jesus' birth and early years were in Bethlehem, Nazareth, or Jerusalem. This has provided Rachelle and me with the enjoyable opportunity to discuss Christianity, Judaism, faith, and culture with our kids. It is interesting that Noah and Liv do not mind being the only Americans and pretty much the only non-Christians in their classes. Of course, this has all intensified with the coming of Christmas and Noah and Liv had been preparing for their school nativity plays.

The younger half of the school put on the widely-regarded hit, "Born in a Barn." The play enlisted the fine acting and singing of the kids in Reception (4-year-olds) through Year 3 (7-year-olds). The event oozed cuteness. Liv was a shepherd, complete with a tea towel (rag) on her head, and helped watch over the sheep, cows, pigs, and other barnyard animals/children in the Jesus birth story. The central score, "Born in a Barn", allowed the tiny tykes a chance to vocalize in the gray area between singing and yelling. I recorded a bit for your enjoyment.



Noah was selected to be one of the kazoo players in his play. I am guessing that I am not alone in finding the kazoo to be the most annoying "instrument" to be invented. Of course I want to be a supportive father, but there is only so much kazoo "practice" anyone can endure in their home. As Noah practiced in the days leading up to his performance, I began to suspect that Ms. Dangerfield was at home chucking, "touche American!" Two nights before the play I noticed a peculiar and pleasant sound in the air. I was not able to put my finger on it until Noah said that his kazoo had been confiscated because one of the other kazoo playing boys was using it to shoot spit balls at the girls. Ahh. Thank you spit ball boy.

So, Noah's nativity play, "Cracking the Christmas Code", was put on at St. Stephens Church, a beautiful Victorian Gothic church on a hill. For the Advent, the church glows purple, but I am not know the meaning behind this. Regardless, it gives the church a spooky feel (see picture). So that you know that older kids can belt out a song too, I uploaded a video from this play. Although it is blurry, you can pick Noah out. He is in the center with the red shirt, tinsel on his head, and the only kid singing with an American accent.



Football Woes

You might have noticed that I have not been keeping you up to date on the Belvedere Football club team fixtures. Well, we have been on a cold spell losing our last 4 games each by 1 goal. Most frustrating. To top off the gloomy performance, this past Sunday I was called an "American Prick" by an opposing player. Oh well.

Related, I have noticed a different quantity and quality of cursing on the football pitches here compared to the U.S. First, there is more cursing and it is not met with any sanction whatsoever by the referees. Liv regularly keeps count of the "F- and S-words and she always reports double-digit figures. Fortunately, Liv does not know the C-word, which is regularly used here but rarely heard on the U.S. soccer fields. As an example, in one of our games a stray ball went off our field into another game. A player in that game kicked it back, but he overshot his pass, sending the ball beyond the player who had gone to retrieve it. This player shouted, "Thanks, you f***ing c***!", which was followed by laughter among the players in our game and the referee!

Time with Mates

We had Chris (the director of the Pain Research Centre) and his wife, Zoe, over for dinner. Rachelle made a lovely stewed veggies in pastry and I cooked up mushrooms fresh from the Saturday market. As a side note, Liv and I have attended the last 3 Saturday morning Bath Farmers Markets, picking up great local bread, cheese, and olives. See the picture.

Noah and Liv are continuing to enjoy new friendships at their school, which has increased their resistance to weekend family excursions. Noah recently had Harvey over to our house where they had fun playing an online computer game on separate laptops in separate rooms in our cottage. I should say, they had fun playing until I rained on that peculiar parade. It seems that I stumbled upon a new generational phenomenon where these children today think that they are "playing together" if they share cyberspace albeit not physical space. Mercy under heavens.

Here is a conversation I overheard when Poppy was over for a sleepover:
Poppy: "Your real name is Livia? I am going to call you Livia from now on!"
Liv: "Then I will call you Polly Pocket from now on."
-pause-
Poppy: "OK. I'll call you Liv."

Friday, December 5, 2008

Parent Disco Party

Rachelle and I received an invite to a "disco party". We had several different ideas of what it might entail, but I don't think either of us envisioned the surreal sociocultural experience that was to be.

We arrived at the 'Larkhall Liberal Club' for the party with our plate of brownies. We were greeted into the dingy pub to find a handful of drunk, grumbly, and toothless men watching rugby on a little TV. As we stepped past one sleeping man, another guy pointed to the stairs without taking his eyes off the game. We followed the steep, skinny stairs to the basement and found 2 other couples in a long skinny room. At the far end of the room/hallway was a table with a stereo system and a disco ball shooting multicolored lights out around the walls. The table was manned by an 80-year-old or so skinny chap who was swinging his arms to the music. Along one wall was a bar and a table of food.

Eventually some more parents showed up and began having drinks and the party took on the typical tempo. One guy pointed out to me how the room was actually a skittles alley when it was not being used for disco parties. Skittles is like bowling except the ball is about the size of a softball and there are 9 pins laid out in a diamond shape. Now I understood the funny dimensions of the room. We were having a party on a bowling alley!

Upon closer inspection of the DJ, I noticed he was quite agile for an old guy. Yes, he could pop those cassettes in and out of the cassette player as if he had been doing so for a century or so. The music ranged from some current Brit pop to oldies but goldies. Rachelle asked if I would dance with her. I noticed that there were about 6 women and no guys on the far end of the bowling alley. Being the good husband, I was dragged down to the dancing area. As we bee-bopped to a Grease medley, I could tell that some of the other men were looking at me and thinking, "Look at the silly American bloke dancing. What a git."

After skipping the light fandango, Rachelle and I had some Brit food, such as mincemeat pie (it is a sweet dried fruit-filled pie) and potato dishes. As the raffle began, we slipped back up the stairs, past the men staring at another rugby match, and made our way home.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Liv Birthday Party



Sunday was the day of Liv's big 8 years old birthday party. She invited all of the girls in her class, and nearly all were able to come. The plan was for everyone to meet at 1 at the university sports center just down from our cottage. I hurried home from my soccer match and arrived just as the girls were showing up. Ooops. Rachelle managed to simultaneously graciously greet the guests and shoot me a "you will pay dearly" look.

We all had fun trampolining at the sports center and then the gaggle of girls headed for our home. We used the shared space and I quickly ushered them in for a game of musical chairs. Next a bit of balloon volley ball and lots of squealing and running around.

We sat around the large table and had pizza, fruit salad, carrots, and Shirley Temple's in little wine glasses with cherries and paper umbrellas, which were a huge hit.

A bit more running and squeaking before we had the soccer ball cake and singing. It is common for little Brits to sing out at the end of the birthday song, "And don't forget the champagne...pssshhh!"

Liv then took the girls out to some of her favorite trees for climbing time before they were picked up.

Fun was had by all.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Lists

U.S. > U.K.

1. Single sink spigots that mix cold and hot water
2. Toilet bowls that hold enough water and consistently flush
3. Electric clothes dryers
4. Radio stations that play decent music
5. Freezers that defrost
6. Garbage disposals
7. Washing machines that work

U.K. > U.S.

1. Ancient and beautiful architecture
2. Fuel-efficient and small cars
3. Valuing holidays and time off from work
4. Inexpensive air travel
5. Train travel
6. Pubs with good beer
7. Appreciation of the beautiful game - soccer
8. Street lights that turn yellow before and after green
9. Hand-held shower spigots
10. Compact towns/cities that encourage walking/mass transit
11. Proximity to Europe
12. Nudity on regular TV

Electronic Equipment we have Fried...So Far

1. IPod speaker
2. Walkie Talkie charger
3. Hair dryer
4. Hair curler
5. Electric tooth brush charger
6. TV/VCR

Competency in UK Driving*

1. Side mirror smacks (Lindsey - 2; Rachelle - 1)
2. Finding yourself driving on the wrong (right) side of the road (Lindsey - 3; Rachelle - 0)

*Tipping - but not breaking - another vehicle side mirror with your side mirror while driving is a sign of acute awareness of vehicle size and space. Finding yourself on the right (non U.K.) side of the road is a sign of automaticity in driving. A scientist claims that these behaviors are indicative of highly developed automobile navigation skills.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Ervins, Wells, and Poppy






Monika and Sweet Pea Visit!

Mona and Sweet Pea flew to London and met up with Rachelle in the big city. They had a blast going on the London Eye (Rachelle reportedly stood and looked out of the pod and kept her eyes open the whole time; I wouldn't believe it but there is this apparently un-Photo Shopped picture of her smiling in the pod); visiting the Tower of London where Anne Boleyn, Thomas More, and others were imprisoned and beheaded; seeing Wicked; playing in Hyde park past closing hours and having to climb a fence to avoid slumbering there; and staying in a stark Latvian hotel that is in a tight competition with our stay in Rome for the Hotel Squalor Award (the mouse traps in the Latvian rooms give it a slight edge). Back in Bath, Rachelle and the Ervins did the necessary trip to Lacock and Stonehenge. When I returned from Ireland, we all joined up to visit the Roman Baths in Bath (see picture) and have dinner at a great little pub. The visit was too short and we miss the Ervins already.

Day Date

After dropping off the kids at school, Rachelle and I stole off to Wells. About a 30-minute drive from Bath, Wells houses one of the greatest medieval cathedrals to be experienced. The front, built in 1230, is chock full of sculptures (see the picture of Rachelle). Inside houses rare scissor arches, painted ceiling, and a great ancient working clock. When the clock strikes, some miniature jousting knights pop out and go around in circles knocking each other off their horses. Not only does the clock tells the date, time, and lunar cycle, but it has some pagan symbols, which is not a typical finding in a Christian cathedral. Without having to compromise with the kids on a viewing pace, we had a great tour of the cathedral by an old fellow who shared great insider stories.

Sheffield Talk

Last Friday, I traveled European style (by train) to the University of Sheffield to give a research talk. It was great fun changing trains, pushing through crowds and ejecting squatters out of my reserved seats, and riding a cable car through Sheffield to find the university.

Liv's Birthday

Today (Friday, November 21) is Liv's birthday. She invited 2 of her friends (Lizzie D. and Poppy) over for dinner, cake, and ice-cream, and Poppy is spending the night. Just a side comment, from my perspective, Brit kids are not used to adults joking around with them. Also, the way they speak so properly and with those cute accents, not to mention wearing their little uniforms, I find it terribly difficult not to tease them a bit. Tonight, when I asked Poppy if her middle and last name were Seed and Bagel, she turned her head at an angle, and said, "No, they are not." I expect that if she had been American, she would have rolled her eyes and said to Liv, "Yea, I've never heard that one before."

Poppy is quite a crack-up. When Rachelle asked if she would like to try the ratatouille Rachelle had labored over, Poppy said in her crisp and surprisingly loud British accent, "Ratatouille. I absolutely hate Ratatouille." Also, Poppy was able to pay me back for my taunts. She gave Liv a big box of "Hama Beads", known in America as "Pearla Beads", and known to me as "Annoying tiny plastic things that get into everything." See the video below for a Poppy message.



We picked up a great used bike (see it just behind Poppy in the video) for Liv for her birthday, an Irish soccer jersey, and some new books. Her big party is a week from Sunday, so I'll provide a post blowout update later.

Now I must wrap this up as I agreed to play Tickle Monster with the kids outside before shepherding them to bed.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Memorable Moments and Cute Quotes





There are many little stories that do not fit into the chronology of our travels thus far and events slip my mind until post my posting of a blog, so now I bring you some bits and pieces of stories:

Brit Urinals

The kids have repeatedly insisted that I share the following bit (the Brits use the terms 'bit' and 'pieces' quite often, especially together as in "Let me just grab some bits and pieces from the store."). Noah, Liv, and I were in a public bathroom. As I began to use the urinal, they both yelled that I was in fact using the sink. This was my first (and their second) encounter with these interesting English public sinks that are built into the wall. They have automatic soap, water, and air dryer tucked at the top out of sight and once you place your hands (or other body parts) into the opening it somehow knows what to do. They delight in sharing this story with anyone who cares to listen.

Dishing the Dishes

If you recall a past blog about the kids washing dishes, they have figured out a routine to excuse themselves from the chore. Well, I should admit that I am in on the scheme ("scheme" is another commom British word; it is used as Americans might use "strategy" or "plan"). The kids ask Rachelle if they can go "exercise" outside while she cleans the kitchen. How can she resist. So, the twosome and I (Rachelle always declines the option to join them as she has worked out on showered earlier in the day) jog around the sports fields and then end up at one of the soccer goals for shots. On any given night, there might be 5-10 different small and big soccer games being played on these fields.

School Updates

Each morning at school, I enjoy accompanying the kids into school. As we enter the back playground, my kids join the rest of the green and yellow uniformed kids playing, running, wrestling, and tumbling around on the playground as parents wave and say "Hello, hello" in rising intonations to each other as only the Brits can do. It is mayhem. At 8:40 sharp, Ms. Dangerfield (Noah's teacher) marches out through the throng with long and straight strides. She lifts her chin, stands very straight, blows a sharp whistle, and announces in her clear and deep voice. "Gooood morning children! Please line up smartly!"

I do plan to videotape this moment, but I haven't gotten up the courage. Noah can tell you that Ms. Dangefield is a force to be reckoned with. Of course, some of the other teachers, such as Ms. Starch and Ms. Onion (those are their real names!) are tough too.

Noah reports that when his classmates are acting up (which is common), Ms. Dangerfield will say, "I am about to become very cross with you!" Fortunately, the children have not witnessed her actually become cross.

Liv has the sweetest teacher imaginable. Her name is Ms. Mumford and when we first met her, she said, "I have been to Atlanta," and added in a whisper, smile, and shrug, "I was following the Grateful Dead." She is terribly stylish, is always beaming, and clearly delights in the children. See the picture. Liv loves imitating Ms. Mumford with a big smile, raised arms, and sunny exclamations of "superb!" "brilliant!" and "Lovely!"

When Ms. Mumford learned that we would be heading to Rome for holidays, she provided us with a 3-page typed document of travel tips, restaurants, and places of interest. She had lived in Rome with her boyfriend. One of our favorite Ms. Mumford stories involves a school assignment. Liv was supposed to create a family tree. Rather than a tree, she decided to do a family bookshelf. Each shelf was a different generation, and she labeled the bindings of the book with the person's name, age, relatives, and some interesting fact or comment about the person. Although I do admit it came out quite nicely, I was worried that the format might not meet the letter of the law of a family tree. Rachelle frowned at me when I pointed out that you could not really link up the parents and children because there were no connecting branches.

I kept my worries in my shut mouth as Liv strutted into class with her large colorful poster board of her family bookshelf. When Liv came home, I anxiously looked her over. She was beaming. She let us know that Ms. Mumford stood Liv up, hugged her shoulders as they both faced the class, and brightly announced, "Genius moment everyone!". Ms. Mumford proceeded to praise Liv's unique, creative, and beautiful family "tree".

We had our parent-teacher meetings not too long ago. In meeting with Ms. Dangerfield, we learned that Noah is doing well, he is ahead of his peers in most subjects, but his handwriting is poor. She also pointed out, "he has a strong sense of justice", and is not shy to point out inconsistencies in her teaching. At the end of the meeting, I collected my courage and asked if I could videotape her rounding up the kids in the morning. She paused, looked puzzled, then she said it would be okay and smiled and blushed. At that moment we saw another side to the Ms. Dangerfield we know.

So, I am posting a video of the morning routine. However, the video is not good because I tried to be sly about it and held the camera by my waist. So, it is hard to make out what is going on. I will make another attempt.

Liv's parent-teacher meeting was "superb" and "wonderful". Liv is doing swimmingly in all subjects, and Ms. Mumford enjoys Liv immensely. As with Noah, Liv's handwriting does stand out as being especially messy and inconsistent (capital letters in the middle of words, smiley faces to dot the i's). We explained that Liv's school in the states, Paideia, likely reinforced such a creative writing style, but that we would work on getting her script up to snuff.

Noah's class was studying World War II. At one point in class, Ms. Dangerfield informed the class that they would likely all be speaking German if it were not for the Americans stepping in to help out. Noah had a good day taking full credit and expecting thank yous from his classmates. To culminate this work, the students dressed as "evacuees". See the picture of Noah and his fellow 1939 mates heading to the safety of the country.

National Trust

We joined the National Trust, which is an organization that helps maintain historic properties in the United Kingdom. As members, we have free access to thousands of castles, homes, and other sites. Occasionally we will pop into places. Here is a picture of Liv at one of the homes in the Trust in Bath.

Cheers!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

It Takes a Village and a Guiness...




Upon returning from Italy, we jumped back into our non-pizza-and-gelato-eating-life and landed ourselves in a pickle. I arranged a flight to Galway, Ireland, where I was to give a keynote talk at an annual research meeting, and Rachelle set up a bus ticket to London to meet up with her sister, Monika, and niece, Marita (aka Sweet Pea). Once the dust settled, we realized that the kids would be on their own Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon. Oops! A stressful and frantic problem-solving scramble ensued.

Kevin and newly formed friends to the rescue. The kids would accompany separate schoolmates for playdates following school and then join Kevin once he was home for work for dinner and a slumber party with him (Janet and Kaidyn were out of town). Kevin would bring the dynamic duo to school and Rachelle would be home in time to gather them at the end of the day on Tuesday. Crises narrowly averted. Phew!

Lindsey in Ireland

After dropping off the kids at school on Monday, I took a cab to Bristol and flew to Dublin. Given several hours before my flight to Galway, I hopped a double-decker bus for downtown Dublin. Following the advice of a tourist magazine, I made my way down O'Connell and Grafton and took in downtown Dublin. The Guinness advertisement were as common as those of Coke-a-Cola in Atlanta. I found a pub and had the prerequisite half pint of Guinness with lunch and wondered the streets a bit more. The combination of Guinness, sunshine, and statues and Georgian architecture left me with a wonderful impression of Dublin; I did not find it to be another big industrial city as I had been told.

My little flight to Galway was bumpy, but we made it to the west coast port town safe and sound. Another UK researcher, Sara Kelly, who was on my flight and I met up with one of the conference hosts, Dave, at the airport. (Did you notice how I subtly referred to myself as a UK researcher?) Dave toured us around the quaint city and then out to dinner where Brian, the other conference organizer joined us. We had a great meal and shared too much wine. We then headed to a little pub for a Guinness. Off to bed for me in the lovely hotel with a flat screen TV and a very comfy bed.

The next morning was sunny and I strolled around town enjoying watching the very rapid river come through town and empty into the harbour (By the way, the Galway pictures were lifted from the internet. Rachelle absconded with the camera to London). I met up with Brian and we headed to the Univeristy. My talk went well and I enjoyed meeting with the academic folks with their fun accents. Brian and I went out to dinner at a seafood joint, and the food was magically delicious. The next morning I cabbed it to the airport, caught my flight to Dublin, then my flight to Bristol, and cabbed it to Kevin's house so I could walk over and pick up the kids from school (Rachelle, Monika, Sweet Pea, and the car were in Lacock).

Stay tuned for the stories from the last few days from Rachelle (London with Monika and Sweet Pea) and Noah and Liv (holding down the fort in Bath).

Monday, November 10, 2008

Bergamo Surprise

For our last day in Rome, woke at the crack of dawn, caught the 5:30 am Metro (we were old pros at this point), took a bus, and arrived early for our 8:00 flight from Rome to the Bergamo-Milan airport. Upon arriving in Bergamo-Milan, we consulted with the information booth and jumped on a bus for Bergamo. We arrived at the outside of the old city, which is enclosed by a great wall, and took a cable car up the steep hill to the center of town. The steep climb allowed views of the lush countryside and the terracotta roofs on the ancient buildings and houses.

After some pizza, we found the central piazza, which was bordered by ancient and beautiful buildings, a cathedral, and a cafe. We stepped into a church and marveled at the ornately decorated interior. We walked to the corner of the walled city and took another cable car out and up to a castle overlooking the region. After the heavily touristed Venice and Rome, it was refreshing to find at the top of our steep walk up the cobblestone road no entrance fee, no gate, no signs, and not a single other person in sight at the castle. We wandered the empty ancient stone castle and found some narrow and dark steps down into the dungeon. We took in the view from the top of the structure of the green and vast lands. After this unexpected adventure, we headed back to the airport for our flight home.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Roaming Cohens





We woke and Noah was feeling slightly better and there was a bit of color in his complexion. He argued to stay in bed with a Harry Potter book, but, hey, we were in Rome and you know how Rachelle and I felt about the room. Let me just point out that we are not uncaring parents, but we figured Noah could feel ill in the room or feel ill out in one of the most culturally rich cities in the world. Easy choice.

So, off we went to the Coliseum and Roman Forum and walked around the ruins, statues, columns, and historic structures. If you ignored the many tourists, the loud throng of chanting students who filled the streets on some kind of anti-government strike and demonstration, and Noah’s complaints about wanting to return to the room, you can really imagine yourself in ancient Rome. It is a magical city, and even Noah eventually lost himself in the wonder. That evening, Liv and I ventured out to get pizza, fruit, bread, olives, tomato-rice dish, and water, and we had dinner in our room.

Friday morning found all Cohens healthy and ready for a Roman adventure. As we headed out, the Spanish mother-daughter travelers from next door were heading out. We bonded over our distaste for the accommodations as we walked with them to the Metro. I had a chance to practice my Spanish, which was muy fun, and our motley group of foreigners found our way to an office to purchase Roma passes (3 days of free travel and entrance to 2 museums).

We then headed to the Vatican and into St. Peter’s Basilica, which was overwhelmingly beautiful. Noah and Rachelle enjoyed using the audio guides as Liv and I explored the vast Church and eerily beautiful tombs. From there, we had a great lunch at Antonio’s, a restaurant that our friend Dom had recommended. Next was the Vatican museum, which wound through rooms and rooms of mosaics, tapestries, sculptures, and painted walls and ceilings. The final room contained the Sistine Chapel. As was becoming our mode, Rachelle and Noah were tuned into the audio guide headsets, which toured them through the building as Liv and I meandered on our own. Needless to say, the Sistene Chapel was incredible. We all stood in complete awe. Noah actually wanted to go back, especially because we didn’t spend much time in the other areas of the museum as we had a little one with us and attention spans were somewhat limited.

Following the advice of Liv’s teacher, Ms. Mumford, who used to live in Rome, we headed to Piazza Novana and found Trescalini of the famed ice-cream chocolate ball. Along with hot chocolates, which were thick enough to eat with spoons, we had our chocolate quota for … the day.

Next, we walked to Campo de’ Fiori – a hip and bustling square filled with students and yuppies - and found a great little restaurant. Liv picked it out because it was one of the only ones with Halloween decorations (it was October 31). The waiter taught them how to say, “Scarito o Dulcito” (“Trick-or-Treat”), and they used it to get some candy from 2 stores, which was an accomplishment as the Italians do not seem to really do the Halloween thing… Liv also was introduced to spinach and ricotta ravioli, a delight she asked for every day there after.

We took a very long and windy walk home, thanks to getting quite lost, and stopped to pick up some groceries along the way. The kids were great troopers, when we finally arrived home, the parents were a bit sore, but not the kids.

On Saturday, we joined our Spanish friends and went to the Coliseum for a tour. Noah and Rachelle used the audio tour headsets and immersed themselves in stories of the emperors, gladiators, and games. Liv was not in a site-seeing mood and I multitasked between keeping her out of trouble and wandering the Coliseum and listening to the audio tour. We soon discovered that any time an audio guide was available, Noah really got into the museum or site. We were really proud of ourselves for making this discovery early on.

Next we headed to a wonderful park in the Northern section of Rome (the Borghese Park). After Liv had her fill of climbing trees, we rented a 4-person bike cart. It was an odd vehicle in that you could peddle, which then started an engine that only worked as you pedaled. The front 2 seats had steering wheels, but only the left one worked. We took turns steering and barely managed to avoid running over people and dogs enjoying the sun and the park. Liv did most of the steering, Lindsey was in charge of the braking and Rachelle just covered her eyes as we nearly missed several elderly people.

For dinner we went on a quest to find a restaurant recommended by Dom, which was located near Campo de’ Fiori. After a long meandering hunt, we found Trattoria der Pallaro, which is a family-run restaurant. There is no menu and after you sit down, they start bringing out food and more food. After 3 hour and at least 7 different delicious dishes, pie, mandarin juice, and a large jug of wine, we rolled home.

Despite going to bed close to midnight, we woke early to get to the Borghese Gallery, a wonderful little museum filled with Bernini statues, Titian, Raphael, and Caravaggio paintings, and other wonderful Italian art. Although the fearsome twosome protested vehemently that they had had enough site-seeing from the moment they woke until we entered the museum, they both enjoyed the visit. Rachelle, Noah, and I all used the audio guide headsets and Liv enjoyed viewing the art on her own schedule. The kids were particularly impressed with Bernini’s statues of David and Apollo and Daphne, as well as Caravaggio’s David and Goliath painting (David is holding Goliath’s severed head).

We wandered our way on foot all over Rome taking in many more locales including the Piazza del Popolo, the Spanish Steps (we sat on the steps and let Noah work on his school homework – a PowerPoint presentation about the Smoky Mountains), the Treve Fountain, the Pantheon (Rachelle and Noah enjoyed the audio tours while Liv and I counted the holes in the floor that drained the rain that could come through the opening in the dome, it was truly amazing), the Vittoriono (the Wedding Cake or Urinal building), and a great gelatteria. We decided to come back to our hotel for a siesta around 4:30 before heading out to dinner in our neighborhood.

For our final day of Rome we took the Metro to the Piazza Barberini and found the Capuchin Chapel, which contains a crypt where the bones of 4,000 dead Capuchin Monks and several shriveled skeletons wearing monks’ robes decorate the 4 dark small rooms lit by handing lamps made of bones. The final room has a skeleton on the ceiling holding a scale and a scythe. This visit was both creepy and beautiful.

From there we snaked our way through Rome and had lunch at ‘Cul de Sac’ in Piazza Navonna based on Ms. Mumford’s (Liv’s teacher) recommendation. From there, we crossed the Tivere river and found the Trastevere neighborhood. We enjoyed popping in to the 12th century church of Santa Maria. We walked around and the kids were especially amused by my re-telling of Seinfeld episodes. We crossed the river, pausing briefly on Tiberina Island, climbed to the top of the Vittoriono for a great view of Rome, and made our way back to our grisly little hotel. We ventured out for a yummy dinner of pizza and Ă©clairs and said goodnight to Rome.

There is a saying, “Roma, non basta una vita”, which translates to “Rome, one lifetime is not enough”. Well, after 5 packed days, we were close to having our fil of Rome. Liv said she has a tough time picking one favorite part of Rome, but she was especially fond of the park and quad-bike ride and the Sistine Chapel. Noah said the Coliseum, Sistine Chapel, Borghese Gallery, and the park were his top Rome picks. We will all surely miss our daily dose of pizza, pasta, gelato, and pastries. However, if we had continued at the above mentioned pace, we would have needed to stop in Milan for some new fashionable clothes in new extra large sizes.

Italy Ill-Tally: 2


On the overly-crowded water bus in Venice, Noah complained that he felt sick. Rachelle and I figured that a combination of seeing Liv pampered when she was ill and the swaying of the packed and hot boat contributed to his complaints. Oh, how wrong we were.

As we exited the boat, Noah filled a plastic bag as the exiting throng of passengers parted to give him some space. We boarded our bus and began the 40-minute drive to the airport. Fortunately, we had several more bags, and boy did Noah need them. The poor guy was not doing well. Although his stomach was empty, his vocal retching was loud enough to send all of the pigeons in St. Mark’s square a-flight. I am Noah, hear me roar. At one point, I noticed the bus driver glance up sharply in his rear-view mirror and I feared he was going to pull over and toss off the ill American bambino. Some of the passengers snuck peaks our way to see if Noah’s head was going to spin around when he let out particularly loud roars. We were not far from the Vatican where a proper exorcism might be performed.

As a side note, Rachelle and I – both being middle children - share an overly developed desire to avoid standing out in general, but especially as Americanos when we are abroad. For example, we try not to speak too loudly, we are excessively polite, and we do not wear tee-shirts emblazoned with, “I bleed red, white, and blue.” After 20 minutes of Noah’s yowling, we had to just laugh at our situation and give up any fleeting hopes of decorum.

The flight was quite bumpy and we took some comfort in noticing that Noah was not the only passenger with his face in a bag. As we landed in Rome, the storm that rocked our plane was in full force. We bought our bus tickets and were told to hurry outside to await the bus, which was supposed to arrive shortly. We huddled together with a group of 4 Slovenians, a family from Scotland, and some others waiting for the bus. The rain came down; the rain also came up, left, and right. The thunder bellowed and the lightning lit up the dark sky. With our fellow desperate bus-waiters, we created a tent of umbrellas with everyone in the middle. Despite these efforts, we could not have been wetter if you dunked us in the Venice Grand Canal. Along with our other drenched palls, we all just began to giggle and laugh at the absurdity of the situation as we waited an hour for the bus. Dripping wet and exhausted, we made it from the bus (see picture) to the subway and the subway to our hotel arriving around 11:30pm. We fell asleep before our heads hit the pillows.

You might think that we were comforted finding ourselves dry and in our hotel. This is partially correct. We were all glad to be out of the downpour and Noah was glad to be close to a toilet, but this was not the best hotel. Actually, ‘hotel’ is not an accurate name. The establishment consisted of about 5 different apartments on a hallway in the bottom floor of a building. In our flat, the bathroom had some sort of garbage disposal-like machine built in to the pipes, and each time you flush or run the shower or sink it grinds and churns loud enough to rattle your teeth. The assortment of towels, sheets, and blankets were of all different sizes, textures, and colors. They did all match in the fact that they were consistently thin, tired, stiff, and pilly. The blanket on Liv’s bed was more likely a small rug. None of these lovely sheets or towels were cleaned during our 6-night stay. There was teh dregs of some shampoo in a bottle and no soap in the bathroom. Breakfast consisted of a basket of Twinkie-like cake things in a basket on a less than clean table at the end of the hall. On the bright side, the grimy facilities encouraged us to spend most of our time out enjoying Rome.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

3 Days in Venice






We had breakfast at our hotel and headed to the grand train station in Milan. The station was enormous, impressive, beautiful with columns, marble, and carvings, and bustling with people of all nationalities. We were all wide-eyed. We boarded a train for Venice and tried to politely eject some nice little Italians from our seats until they helped us realize that we were on the wrong train. Oops. We ran and found the correct Venice train, which was great because we had our own little seating compartment; the kids noticed the similarities to the seating of Ron, Hermoine, and Harry on the Hogwarts Express.

We arrived in Venice and Noah suggested we walk, using our trusted Brit friend Emily as a guide, rather than take the water bus as suggested by the hotel. Several miles into our journey, Emily quit. Some might say her battery ran out, but we know that Emily was annoyed about being muted (we didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves), being away from her home in England, and having to figure out the best path through the tiny streets and canals.

So, after stopping for some yummy pizza and pasta, we used our excellent pantomiming ability and the help of a nice Italian man with a cell phone, and found our way to our hotel. Once there, the owner led us to our flat, which was around the corner. We basically had a studio apartment with a decent-sized kitchen with 2 tables, a bathroom, and a large room with a queen bed and 2 singles. It was quite nice.

We relaxed a bit and then headed out into the maze of streets, bridges, squares, and canals that is Venice. Liv and Noah delighted in the many touristy shops selling intricate painted masks and glass objects. Beyond that, Liv was especially awed by the buildings with their intricate carvings and the many narrow passages. She often stopped to point out the different colors of buildings and how they “fit together like a tapestry.” When I pointed at a gargoyle and said, “Cool!” Liv responded, “Dad, everything here is cool!”

We stopped at a little café for salad and sandwiches and headed back to our hotel. The kids loved the freshly squeezed orange juice and, of course, the gelatos on the way back to our hotel. As a bit of foreshadow, juice and ice cream are not the best mixture for a little girl so recently ill.

It was a rough night for Rachelle, Liv, and me, but mostly Liv. Around 2:30, Liv woke and headed full steam for the bathroom. She almost made it to the toilet before vomiting. Poor Liv. The rumbly tummy was back. Poor parents who had to clean the bathroom floor, door, shower and toilet.

We woke groggy and grumpy, but were somewhat cheered by the arrival of breakfast. The hotel owner brought over a big basket with croissants, rolls, crackers, hot chocolate, coffee, and orange juice (none for Liv). The caffeine and sugar perked up the parents as we all headed back out into Venice allowing ourselves to get sufficiently lost as we explored the many passages, canals, and bridges. We found our way to the impressive but highly touristed St. Mark’s square. Liv was feeling good, and had a great time feeding the pigeons bread, and letting them climb on her to peck it out of her hand.

We found a great little restaurant tucked into an alley, and enjoyed pasta and salad for lunch. We returned to our flat for a siesta before heading back out into Venice, including the famed Rialto Bridge. After dinner of pizza, salad, and tiramisu, we headed home for a good night’s sleep. We all slept through the night and kept the day’s meal inside.

We woke in good moods. Liv even appreciated the humor when I angled the shower nozzle so that it sprayed well above her head when she showered. We had our bonding, grooming, de-licing ritual with each of us carefully combing out each other’s hair, and we were pleased to see that only a few of the Brit nits joined us for our adventures in Italy.

Out into Venice again, winding and twisting our way through the alleys. We bought some fruit and bread from a vendor and enjoyed a picnic lunch in a square. Having opted to travel and sight-see by foot up to this point, we decided to go for a gondola ride. We slid through the canals, seeing the residences of Marco Polo and Casanova and hearing stories from our Gondaleer.

After stopping for cocoa and coffee, we began our trek to the airport to begin the Rome portion of the trip.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Moment in Milan

So, we flew from Bristol to Milan today, arriving in Italy in the afternoon. The view of the Italian alps was beautiful as we descended into Milan. Just as the plane landed, Liv let me know she was feeling ill. Since we were flying on the bargain Ryan Air, I noticed that there was no barf bag. In fact, there was no seat pocket at all. Thinking quickly, I grabbed the Subway napkin and caught a handful of 2-hour-old mostly-digested tuna sandwich. As a side comment, there were very limited food selections at the Bristol airport and Sunway was our first dive into American fare since moving to England.

We found our way to the bus and once we were bumping along the road, Liv produced a bit more lunch into the plastic Subway bag that Rachelle had with her.

With the help of Emily, we found our way to our hotel near the bus station. We got to our room, wetted and brushed our hair with the nit brushes (I'll fill you in on the nit story later - okay, not to keep you in suspense, here is the brief version: Nits or lice are incredibly common in England and especially in Noah's class, the boys all touch each others hair a lot, and Noah had a Brit nit invasion. By the way, the cleaner the hair, the more likely to get nits - they cling better to clean hair than dirty or oily hair. So, we have been combing out Noah's nits for 2 days now), and then Noah and I headed out for Sprite and saltines for little Liv who was puking in the toilet when we departed.

Noah and I went just a couple of doors down from the hotel and popped into a little pub. The Italians didn't speak English, but we managed to get some bread and a Sprite. They pushed candy and some earrings into Noah's hands and smiled and cooed at him and touched his head (I am not sure how you say, "Watch out for nits" in Italian). We got back to the room and Liv ate the bread and drank the Sprite and continued to snuggle and read with Rachelle.

Noah and I headed out and found a great pizzeria. There was an English-speaking guy at San Giorgio who said, "I'll make your sick daughter pasta bianca!" Noah and I came back to room with Liv's special meal, pizza, pasta with seafood, pasta with vegetables, and a beer. It was delicious and Liv, who was feeling much better, ate well.

Unfortunately, the noodles showed up a bit later as Liv was sick again. Noah and I ventured out again into Milan for Sprite, medicine, and gelato. Stopping back into the same bar, we were given cake and champagne as they were celebrating someone's birthday. We bought the Sprite and they again pushed a bunch of chocolate at Noah.

As we now settle into bed, Liv is feeling a bit better. Maybe the airport Subway tuna wasn't great. However, I did have half of her sandwich and it has stayed down so far (knock on wood).

Sweet Liv is in great spirits and actually feels pretty okay. I expect that tomorrow she will be feeling better as we head off to catch our train to Venice.

Ciao.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Weekend 11 in the UK











We opted to stay in town this weekend, giving our Clio a rest. It was a short rest. On Saturday, our little red car groaned under the weight of our 3 bikes (the neighbor gave Liv his old one and a football mate of mine loaned us a bike rack) and headed to a bike shop the size of a closet. We rented a bike for Rachelle and found our way to one of the bike paths in Bath. Bath hosts a number of bike paths along canals, rivers, and through the country, and we were eager to explore the rare flat areas in Bath.

It was sprinkling and the kids were complaining when we first started out, but soon the rain stopped, the sun came out, and the kids cheered up. The path followed a river and for long stretches the trees reached across over our heads and created a tunnel of forestry. Peaks between the trees gave us views of sheep, cows, horses, green land, and lush hills. We pedaled along until we came to a pub called the 'Bird in the Hand' and stopped in for a scrumptious lunch. We headed back to the path nicely satiated and rode until we happened upon a playground where the kids romped around for a bit.

We turned and headed back to the Clio after our 10 mile loop. We were especially proud of Liv who was riding a small-wheeled, single-speed, rusty kid's bike. We are now determined to keep our eyes out for a used bike for Rachelle and a used bike rack that can hold 4 bikes.

Saturday night found Rachelle and me heading out to dinner at Chris (the head of the Pain Research Centre where I work) and Zoe's house. We dropped off Liv and Noah in the good hands of Kevin, Janet, and Kaidyn. Rachelle and I were giddy at having a grownup night out, and Chris and Zoe are splendid hosts. We had a delicious meal of parsnip soup and risotto then enjoyed a long talk about politics, our impressions of the UK, family, and football. Tipsy with adult-only company and ginger-beer and vodka drinks, we soon found ourselves gaping to discover it was midnight. After snapping a quick picture (see above), we hustled back to pick up our kids discussing how to pay back Kevin and Janet for such unplanned generosity. We carried the sleeping dynamic duo to the car and headed home to get some shut-eye ourselves.

Early Sunday morning we woke to Noah singing and dancing around the house despite the lack of sleep. Mirroring Rachelle and my excitement of our night out, he was giddy about his upcoming play date with one of his favorite school chums. Liv was tucked into the 5th Harry Potter book and decided to stay home rather than accompany me to my football match.

FC Belevedere were facing a young, skilled Tramways team. Our heroes were up to the duel and played with high spirits and skill. In the first half, the good guys were quickly up 3-0. The game ended FC Belvedere 5, Tramways 2. The big news, at least in my book, was that I scored another goal. I snuck into the box unmarked on a corner kick and slammed a header into the back of the net. Glory. For the full report, see http://www.webteams.co.uk/MatchReport.aspx?team=fcbelvedere&mid=match9.xml

After some time bonding with the team at the pub, I headed home to help Rachelle clean-up and fix dinner for the Curran clan. The Curran family lived in Atlanta and the 3 girls attended Paideia. Rob had lived in the U.S. for 13 years, married American Karen, and he and the family moved back to his hometown in Cornwall 2 years ago. They were in visiting Bath and we were delighted to get a chance to see them. We enjoyed a great Rachelle meal with Rob, Karen, and their daughters Megan, Lacey, and Jessica. Although the 5 kids were fairly quiet at dinner, once they left the table, they found their voices, and the noise from upstairs competed with our neighboring partying university freshers. Venu from next door came over and the 6 kids chased each other around outside while the grownups caught up. See the picture of some of the kiddie action outside.

Although technically not part of the weekend, I am including the Monday festivities in this post. After a day of sightseeing, the Currans joined us for dinner 2. Connected to our cottage is a common space shared by the other 3 families in our residence. We used the large table in this space so that the 5 Currans, 4 Cohen, and 3 Vowles could all dine together. See the picture of the American feast in England. There is also a large room that allowed the 5 girls (3 Currans, 1 Cohen, and 1 Vowles) plenty of space to chase and pile up on Noah. They kiddies took a brief break to Skype Bryson (see picture), who was in class with Megan and Noah a few years ago. The meal of Rachelle's famous gypsy soup, challah bread, Indian beans (thank you to our neighbor Anjula), pasta, salad, and excellent Cornwall beers (thank you Rob and Karen) was delicious and the company was delightful.

On Tuesday (okay, so I am no where near the weekend now), Rachelle joined the Currans sight-seeing around Bath (costume museum, the circus, the crescents, downtown). That afternoon, we were sad to see the Currans head back to Cornwall, but we are excited to explore their region of England in the near future.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

England 3, Belarus 1; Bike 1, Lindsey 0



I thought I would share a brief story from last night because a) Dominic let me know that he had bet this blog would not last a month and and he now points to the 'week in review' blogs as evidence of a petering out of our efforts, and b) I am procrastinating doing some work.

So, we had Kevin, Kaidyn, and Janet over for dinner last night (see the picture of Liv and Kaidyn). As always, it was great fun, a marvelous Rachelle-made meal of ratatouille, and some good English beer. I had planned to meet my football mates out at our pub, Belvedere, to watch the England vs. Belarus match. (See the picture of 2 England fans who were not allowed to stay up to watch the game.) So, I hopped on my bike just as the Vowles family was heading home. As you might know, we live on the top of a long steep hill. So, I thought it would be fun to race the Vowles down the hill. I was flying down the road illuminated by the Vowles headlight when my chain locked up. You might not know that my bike is a fixed gear, so when the chain locks, the back wheel also locks. As I went into the skid, the surprisingly calm thought went through my head that I was about to have a very nasty wreck. But, more surprisingly, I continued upright on the bike and stayed in the skid for what felt like a kilometer before stopping and stepping off the bike. Lucky, lucky me. Kevin pulled over and applauded the spectacle. With shaking hands, I put the chain back on and rode the rest of the way to the pub at a reasonable speed.

I joined the football fans and enjoyed watching England beat the feisty Belarus team 3-1. Everyone was headed out of the pub and into ... pouring rain. My nice teammates had a hearty laugh at me for riding my bike as they headed for their various tiny European cars.

Some tipsy Brit saw me putting on my reflector vest and helmet (safety over fashion), and suggested that I have another pint and wait the rain out. He added, "It is really pissing down". I took his advice and enjoyed a talk with a couple of locals still at the pub. Based on his experience, one guy found Americans to be "very social" and "open and free" as compared to the "proper" and civil English. He said that he thought it was due to there being so many Americans and to stand out you really have to be eccentric. The bartender said that she was dying to travel in the "deep, deep South", and she especially wants to visit small towns in Alabama. I was slightly perplexed, but I did then understand why I kept hearing Lynard Skynyrd and REM playing at the pub. The conversations lasted until the rain was done, and then I biked on home.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Isle of Wight





This weekend, we took off on a 30-hour excursion to the Isle of Wight. Picking the kids up on Friday from school, we set off in our not-so-trustworthy Clio just before traffic set in. We reached southern England in 90 minutes and drove up on the ferry. Not unlike those in Seattle, the ferry was large with 2 levels of parking, 2 restaurants, and 3 levels of exploring. Liv and I wandered the decks enjoying the sun and wind before we settled into some booths. Noah and Liv drew pictures and read as Rachelle and I planned our trip. 30 minutes later we arrived on the small Isle of Wight.

We drove to our hotel and checked in. We had reserved a room at a cute hotel in Shanklin with 2 connected rooms. The kids were delighted to find chocolates on their pillows, which they ate before we walked off to dinner. Just down the street, we found the beach, which had a board walk. Liv ran along the sand, while Noah, Rachelle, and I walked along on the higher wall. We found a restaurant on the beach, which the kids loved and Rachelle and I agreed was high on the cheesy tourist scale. The food was decent, and the beer Rachelle and I split was excellent.

The next morning, we set off for a nearby gorge. We wandered along the little paths and board walks enjoying the waterfalls, streams, and lush greenery. The kids delighted in watching some squirrel/mouse-like animals and parrots in cages along the trail. We wandered through the little village of Shanklin, and the kids loved (and Rachelle and I endured) the tourist shops with all of the little trinkets.

Back to the Clio and we headed to the Needles area, which are some cliffs, beaches, and rock formations. After parking, we meandered through the fairground area. The crowd looked just like one you might find at Stone Mountain or Six Flags (i.e., tattoos, missing teeth, tee-shirts not quite covering bellies) minus the Southern accents and Rebel flags. We took some chair lifts from the top of the cliffs down to the beaches; Liv and I loved the ride and Rachelle and Noah white-knuckled it through. Once on the beach, we walked a bit and then hopped on a boat for a close-up tour of the Needles rock formation. The white jagged rocks looks a lot like ice bergs, but are actually made of chalk.

After the boat ride, we played on the rock beach for a while collecting stones, taking in some sun, admiring the multicolored cliffs, and listening to the wonderful sounds of the waves receding on the pebble beach. We then walked up the path back to the fairground, spent some pounds trying to knock down cans with bean bags (we did not win a dinky stuffed animal), and grabbed some food.

We then headed for a walk along the high cliffs to see the old and new batteries. Along the way, we had a little picnic and looked for rabbits. We reached the old battery, which was a sort of fort with cannons, lookouts, and a great underground tunnel leading to another lookout. The battery was manned throughout World War I, but no ships or planes were fired upon. Rachelle and Noah did an activity at the old battery learning about the war and location as they followed a guide and wore silly hats. Liv and I explored on our own sans hats.

The new battery was just up the hill at a slightly higher location and was used extensively during World War II. We explored the battery and enjoyed the sun and views of the cliffs, beaches, and ocean.

We jumped in our clio and headed home. Liv falling asleep in the car, which she has not done since she was a baby.

Sunday morning found Noah, Liv, and me headed to my soccer match, and Rachelle going to join the Ramblers for a 5 1/2 mile walk through the Cotswalds. Rachelle enjoyed the beautiful walk and talking with the elderly group (Rachelle was the youngest by about 20 years). Not to keep you in suspense any longer, I will share that Belvedere FC played a fine match and beat the much younger opponents 3-1. Noah, Liv, and I joined the lads at the Belvedere pub for 2 Shirley Temples, a Shandy (half beer, half sprite), and a bag of crisps (potato chips).

Now it is Sunday evening, Rachelle is making homemade pizza, Noah is doing his homework, Liv is reading, and I am updating the blog.

Cheerio!