This was going to be an interesting day from the start. We wanted to make a visit to Parliament, then catch the England soccer game in the early afternoon - with Aeron and Toby.
So, up early we made our way down to Parliament about 10am, and proceeded to take a fantastic tour of practically the entire site. This included the impressive Westminster Hall, then both houses - Lords and Commons - and everything in-between. We were led throughout with the help of an audio guide that encompassed 20 different stations. Wonderful time!
Afterwords things got a bit dicey. I began calling both Aeron and Jake - Toby's brother - about where to meet for the game. Jake gave me some idea where it was, but not exact. On top of that, Aeron would have had to travel a long way to get to it. With time running short, we decided to punt on seeing Toby, and meeting Aeron again in Camden Town.
Upon arriving, it was its usually chaotic mess of shops and food. We first tried to meet in the same place we caught the game on Saturday - but they were remodeling it. Then another bar - which was lame and not even showing the game (!!!). Then we made our way into a rocking pub called the Oxford Arms, and found the perfect place - even if we had to stand for the whole match.
As for the match it was between England and Wales, and it was a tough one. Being down 1-0 after halftime, the pub was pretty quite and concerned. Then, a goal by England, and the place erupted. If that wasn't awesome enough, England added another in stoppage time no less, and the pub went bonkers. Soon after the game was over, and even more joyful noise arose.
From there we made our way back to Roma's for a great dinner, where Aeron and his girlfriend, Nabomi, joined us. It was a great meal, and lovely sharing of memories. Soon after it was bedtime, and we obliged.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
European Vacation 2016 - June 15th
About all week rain has been a constant. Thankfully only a mist here and there, and when it did downpour, we were either in bed, or somewhere inside. However, I wanted to make sure there would be good weather for a trip to my "happy place" - Eastbourne. This day was it, and we were off.
Leaving from the home, we wound our way to Victoria Station, and then a train into Eastbourne, passing POLEgate along the way, and the Longman of Wilmington - who has been welcoming me to this city since I was a young boy.
Upon arrival we wove our way up to the English Channel coast from the station, and sat down for a traditional lunch of fish and chips. Yum. Then we visited the Eastbourne Pier, where I mourned the loss of the grand ballroom, where I blew countless pounds in their arcade. It burned down a few years ago, and now it's only a wide spot in the pier. Hopefully they will rebuild.
We made our way around the pier, and then took part in a long-standing tradition - enjoying a "99 Flake" ice cream cone. I've had hundreds of these over the years, but Sam was able to have his first. It's just a bar of flaky chocolate stuck into a soft serve ice cream, but it sure is good.
After that bit of reminiscing we began our walk down to my grandfather's old flat along the Channel. We sat in his memorial bench out front (getting pretty faded), then proceeded down to the beach to scatter a bit of my mom's ashes in the approximate spot where my grandfather's was scattered some 20 years before.
Then began the journey up to Beachy Head. First we stopped in for a pint of beer at the Buccaneer pub, then off on a open double-decker tour bus to the cliff head. What a wonderful experience - we sat in the back on top, with the wind and sun in our faces as we listened to a commentary about all the sites we were passing by as we made our way up.
We were dropped off at the top, and walked a few hundred feet to the cliff edge. Around us was an absolutely stunning view of rolling green hills and the Channel. The South Downs are now a national park, and it's easy to see why. Just breathtaking beauty all around. Sam then walked along the cliff edge, with a nervous father looking on. We finished up in about an hour, hopped back on the bus, took and additional tour of a nearby village, then back to the station, and caught a train to London soon after. All along enjoying the party sunny weather throughout.
Back in London we decided to wind our way up to the location of Abbey Road Studios - where the Beatles recorded. A bit surreal with some "fans" taking turns on the famous crosswalk. Their gift store was closed, so I committed to come back the next day. To be different we jumped on a bus and rode it close to our home, then a very short tube back. More late night chatting with Roma and Toby ensured, and off to bed.
Leaving from the home, we wound our way to Victoria Station, and then a train into Eastbourne, passing POLEgate along the way, and the Longman of Wilmington - who has been welcoming me to this city since I was a young boy.
Upon arrival we wove our way up to the English Channel coast from the station, and sat down for a traditional lunch of fish and chips. Yum. Then we visited the Eastbourne Pier, where I mourned the loss of the grand ballroom, where I blew countless pounds in their arcade. It burned down a few years ago, and now it's only a wide spot in the pier. Hopefully they will rebuild.
We made our way around the pier, and then took part in a long-standing tradition - enjoying a "99 Flake" ice cream cone. I've had hundreds of these over the years, but Sam was able to have his first. It's just a bar of flaky chocolate stuck into a soft serve ice cream, but it sure is good.
After that bit of reminiscing we began our walk down to my grandfather's old flat along the Channel. We sat in his memorial bench out front (getting pretty faded), then proceeded down to the beach to scatter a bit of my mom's ashes in the approximate spot where my grandfather's was scattered some 20 years before.
Then began the journey up to Beachy Head. First we stopped in for a pint of beer at the Buccaneer pub, then off on a open double-decker tour bus to the cliff head. What a wonderful experience - we sat in the back on top, with the wind and sun in our faces as we listened to a commentary about all the sites we were passing by as we made our way up.
We were dropped off at the top, and walked a few hundred feet to the cliff edge. Around us was an absolutely stunning view of rolling green hills and the Channel. The South Downs are now a national park, and it's easy to see why. Just breathtaking beauty all around. Sam then walked along the cliff edge, with a nervous father looking on. We finished up in about an hour, hopped back on the bus, took and additional tour of a nearby village, then back to the station, and caught a train to London soon after. All along enjoying the party sunny weather throughout.
Back in London we decided to wind our way up to the location of Abbey Road Studios - where the Beatles recorded. A bit surreal with some "fans" taking turns on the famous crosswalk. Their gift store was closed, so I committed to come back the next day. To be different we jumped on a bus and rode it close to our home, then a very short tube back. More late night chatting with Roma and Toby ensured, and off to bed.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
European Vacation 2016 - June 14th
After putting in 30,000+ steps in yesterday, time to get back it again. This time it was the Tower of London first thing. We arrived to the site in a drizzling rain - of course - then proceeded to walk up, down and round the Tower. Amazing facility - built originally in 1070ish, and added on as the years went by. Was the home of kings and queens during the middle ages, and also served as a prison.
We started by scaling the walls, and going in and out of the many towers that make up the outer fortress. From there we waited a bit and visited the Crown Jewels. Since my last visit to the Tower they have created a fantastic display for the emblems...very impressive. Once out of there we went into the central White Tower, with tons of armaments, then ran into a Beefeater giving a tour and followed him into a chapel.
After the tower, we kept with the theme and visited Tower Bridge. Didn't know where to enter, but once we found it we took a lift to the top and walked along skybridges. These had tons of data on the bridge, as well as a glass walkway, which was occupied by a number of tourists doing their best vouging. We descended down into the engine rooms for a peek on how the bridge worked. Stuff looked like a movie set.
From Tower Bridge, I fancied riding a shared bike up the 2012 Olympic site. Sam whined quite a bit about this due to the traffic congestion. I totally understood why - London streets are hard enough for cars to drive. Even so, I still had some time left on the bike share from yesterday, so I doggedly trekked on to find a station. I did - right next to the Tower - and began our journey. Thankfully within a few hundred feet of the bike port was a cycle superhighway! We jumped on and rode a good two or three miles west.
I needed to ditch the bikes since my time was running out, and I couldn't locate the darn Olympic site. Thankfully the port was located right by a train station, and we took a ride out to a spot near the Olympic park area - or so we thought. I got off at West Ham, and then accessed an elevated greenway (score!) that obviously was built for the Olympics, but has fallen into disuse. We walked as far as we could on the path, then had to divert for a spell to reach the park. In all we probably walked over two miles from the station - FAIL.
At the Olympic park we scanned what was the home of the world four years before. Lots of stuff happening now, which is a good thing, but still very sparse. After we were done sightseeing there, we made our way into a huge mall, and then to the train station and back to Roma's.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
European Vacation 2016 - June 13th
Our first day touring London had us walking to the West Finchley station, and off to the British Museum. LOTS of incredible historical artifacts, although not the most impressive to Sam...or probably any teenager. He did his best to follow me through most of the museum, which took us over three hours. Amazing it's all free.
From there we made our way down to the Thames and the London Eye - the largest Ferris-wheel-like structure in the world. We got in and got out fairly quick - probably the rain chased tourists away. First we saw an incredible 4-D movie about the attraction, and once on the Eye we enjoyed absolutely amazing views of the city.
After this we decided to a circle tour of famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, the Mall and then over to Piccadilly Circus. From here we walked over to Grovesnor Square and the US Embassy, where I enjoyed seeing the only statue of FDR standing up.
Apparently we were not worn out that bad so we decided to walk around Hyde Park - the largest park in London. After about half-way through, I decided to rent for us two bikes, which got us over to the Diana memorial fountain. I'm still a bit lost on the meaning of it. Thankfully we found an underground station right as our feet were ready to fall off.
In all I logged in over 30,000 steps - by far a record, but not such a big deal in a city like London :)
From there we made our way down to the Thames and the London Eye - the largest Ferris-wheel-like structure in the world. We got in and got out fairly quick - probably the rain chased tourists away. First we saw an incredible 4-D movie about the attraction, and once on the Eye we enjoyed absolutely amazing views of the city.
After this we decided to a circle tour of famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, the Mall and then over to Piccadilly Circus. From here we walked over to Grovesnor Square and the US Embassy, where I enjoyed seeing the only statue of FDR standing up.
Apparently we were not worn out that bad so we decided to walk around Hyde Park - the largest park in London. After about half-way through, I decided to rent for us two bikes, which got us over to the Diana memorial fountain. I'm still a bit lost on the meaning of it. Thankfully we found an underground station right as our feet were ready to fall off.
In all I logged in over 30,000 steps - by far a record, but not such a big deal in a city like London :)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
European Vacation 2016 - June 12th
Finally a great night of rest, and up to Camden Town to meet up with my cousin Aeron. He met us at the train station, and took us to the sprawling Camden Market. It seemed like it would never end - t-shirts, leather, jewelry, and just about everything else back to back and double packed. Made for a very unique experience. We spent several hours there, and thankfully very little money!
Afterwards we decided to high-tail it downtown with Aeron giving us a lightning-quick tour of the central area. We rode a bus down to Trafalgar Square where some even was going on, then walked it over to Big Ben, and over the bridge to the London Eye. From there we walked back across the Thames on an amazing pedestrian-only bridge. Then we rolled into a tube station, and back to Roma's for dinner.
Roma cooked a fantastic spread for us, including Aeron and his girlfriend. We were also joined by Toby and Jake, his brother. Fantastic time together and loved sharing this fun with my mum's family. So crazy-blessed to have them in my life - a lasting gift from my mum :)
Monday, June 13, 2016
European Vacation 2016 - June 11th
After some spotty sleep in Jake's room (very nice view of the backyard - and a bit weird with no screens - no "mozis" you know), I wandered down for some breakfast. This was simply an acclimation day to get us used to the time zone. We started by joining Roma at a birthday party at her friend Penny's house just nearby. We were woefully underdressed, but it didn't matter. All the guests were super-nice to us and the food was fantastic. Even chatted it up with Chris and Linda, US transplants living in London now. Oh yeah, Sam had his first beer - a Heineken :)
From there we went back to Roma's to enjoy a street party celebrating the Queen's 90th birthday. The whole city was doing something, and meeting her neighbors was great. We chatted it up with several of them, and can see why Roma's loves this part of London. We also witnessed a chap passed out due to a seizure...good times ;)
After this Toby took us with him to Camden Town to watch the England match against Russia in the Euros. Very big tournament, and this would be Sam's first experience in a bar/pub with sports fans. We arrived at a place called Lock 17, and made it just in time for the game. We found seats and watched a scoreless first half, then England scored in the second - and the place went bonkers. Toby spilled his pint everywhere and mass-hugging ensured. It remained 1-nill until the very last minute of injury time when Russia equalized. Very disappointing since England hasn't won an opening round in ages.
Even so, Sam and I milled around a bit more, then headed off for a late dinner in the neighborhood. Settled on a Chipolte-type eatery. Then we caught the train back to West Finchley, and came across the street party - still going at midnight! By this time however there had been complaints about the noise, and the police arrived shortly after we did. Then the representatives from the Council. The party was only down to a dozen folks by then but they were still ticked that so much attention was placed on them. Roma laughed thinking what we have done in a short 24-hours.
We finally made it back to the house, and I had a nice chat with Roma before retiring.
From there we went back to Roma's to enjoy a street party celebrating the Queen's 90th birthday. The whole city was doing something, and meeting her neighbors was great. We chatted it up with several of them, and can see why Roma's loves this part of London. We also witnessed a chap passed out due to a seizure...good times ;)
After this Toby took us with him to Camden Town to watch the England match against Russia in the Euros. Very big tournament, and this would be Sam's first experience in a bar/pub with sports fans. We arrived at a place called Lock 17, and made it just in time for the game. We found seats and watched a scoreless first half, then England scored in the second - and the place went bonkers. Toby spilled his pint everywhere and mass-hugging ensured. It remained 1-nill until the very last minute of injury time when Russia equalized. Very disappointing since England hasn't won an opening round in ages.
Even so, Sam and I milled around a bit more, then headed off for a late dinner in the neighborhood. Settled on a Chipolte-type eatery. Then we caught the train back to West Finchley, and came across the street party - still going at midnight! By this time however there had been complaints about the noise, and the police arrived shortly after we did. Then the representatives from the Council. The party was only down to a dozen folks by then but they were still ticked that so much attention was placed on them. Roma laughed thinking what we have done in a short 24-hours.
We finally made it back to the house, and I had a nice chat with Roma before retiring.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
European Vacation 2016 - June 9th and 10th
Another great adventure with my son Sam begins again - this time overseas. Going to hit several destinations by plane and train...our most extensive yet. First however, we have to get there...
The first flight took us to Stockholm on SAS, and then a connecting flight to London. It was cheaper this way, but really taxing on the body - well at least mine (started the trip with a bit of a bad back). Our time in Stockholm was interesting. Had to have security check for just us since we were the only ones from the flight going to London. This grumpy Swede did the honors, and was quite through about it.
Once past him we waited a bit more, then boarded the packed plane and waited some more, then flew out to only circle London waiting to land. Get the theme? Finally did, and caught a subway - or tube ride to my relative Roma's borough of West Finchley. That took another hour plus. When we finally arrived I tried to buy a sim card to contact her, to no avail. Finally just used a cell phone from a shop owner nearby and then Roma's son Toby came by to whisk us away.
We finally arrived at Roma's at about 8pm London time, a good 20 plus hours after we left Crown Point. Had a great dinner with her and meet with her friend Alison. Afterwords settled in for the night with spotty sleep - at least the bed and view from the bedroom was nice :)
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