Our September holiday in Geneva, Switzerland
This month our holiday was to Geneva, Switzerland. It was a nice four day, three night holiday. The flight is under an hour and a half, barely enough time to pull out the portable DVD player for Sophie. We decided to take the express train to/from the Gatwick airport this time, something we haven't done before, usually we take a car service. But after a nightmare car ride from the airport this summer which left all of us sick and Sophie literally vomiting all over everyone and everything in the car, we thought the train might be a better idea and we were right! (providing you pack lightly enough and it doesn't rain too hard on the walk to the tube...).
Geneva was a small city with not a lot of major sights, but it was nice. Lake Geneva is absolutely gorgeous, so clear and clean. It is also really expensive! We ate at McDonald's one night and the conversion in USD was $30 for two value meals and a happy meal! They use the Swiss Franc for currency. The primary language in Geneva is French. Some people speak English, thankfully for us since our French is not great. In other areas of the country German is the main language.
The first day in the city we mostly walked around and shopped a bit. We walked by the Jet d'Eau, Europe's tallest fountain, and the emblem of Geneva. It sends a plume of water shooting 460 feet in the air--quite a sight. Since we are without garden at our flat, we love to spend time in green space and enjoyed the Jardin Anglais (English Garden) located right on the harbour. The flower clock is a main sight, although it was past peak. A leisurely day...
Our second day was much more ambitious. We rented a car (our first car rental in Europe!) and drove around Lake Geneva. This was fantastic! One of the best things we have done lately! This is considered Western Switzerland area which is filled with rolling hills, atmospheric medieval towns, small villages and beautiful ancient churches (amazingly on this trip we didn't visit one church). We loved it all! We stopped at several small villages along the way, including Nyon, Lausanne, and Montreaux. We ventured up into the hills of Vevey, where rows of grape vines line the hills. The views were unbelievable over the Lake with the mountains on the other side--just stunning!
The highlight of the day though was our visit the Chateau de Chillon. It was an enchanting medieval castle set on a rocky hill on Lake Geneva. It is one of Switzerland's most evocative sights. It dates back from the 11th century. It was beautiful and a great visit! Sophie loved looking out all the windows in each room over the water.
On the way around the Lake we drove back on the French side. We made sure to bring our passports with us and I was a little nervous about what to expect at the border. We just got waved through by the French border control, they didn't even stop us! I couldn't believe it was that loose. It was even loosier on the Switzerland border going back in--no one as at that border! Interesting...Jeremy did a fantastic job of driving and he only got honked at once and it was because we were going quite slow and enjoying the views. The signs and round-a-bouts were manageable. Now we are ready to try it in England, the only difference is driving on the opposite side of the street from what we are used too...(we hope to rent a car in November, of course I will keep the blog updated with this!)
The third day in Geneva we window shopped in the morning. Everything is closed on Sundays, even grocery stores, except a few tourist shops and some restaurants and the Musees d'art et e'historie Geneve. Usually Sophie can be entertained for a good hour and a half in a museum, but apparently not on this day. After 45 minutes she was done. We did get to see the paintings, which is what we are most interested in anyway. Jeremy and I really like Impressionism pieces and enjoyed these the most. We have been to so many museums lately that we were not all that sad that we missed the silverware, pewterware, or musical instruments displays.
In the afternoon we took a tram to the United Nations which I understood was open, it was not. Since we were in the area we then ventured to the Red Cross Museum, which I understood was free, it was not and frankly spending $20 to see this museum was less than desirable to us at that point. So with Sophie napping comfortable in her buggy all nice and dry, we got down poured on while walking back to the tram and headed back into the city for a relaxing evening at the hotel.
The fourth and final day was spent shopping for some gifts for family and friends. Switzerland is known for its watches, clocks, music boxes, chocolates. Of course we had to try the chocolates. We did buy Sophie a beautiful Reuge music box as a keepsake from Switzerland. She charmed the owners of the shop with her French and they gave her a little travel music box that she played nonstop all the way to our flat!
Switzerland is a gorgeous country with lots of diversity in the landscape. We had a nice low key trip. Anytime I am not cooking and cleaning, I am happy! Onto Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic for a 10 day holiday in October...
Strawberry Picking Standing Up
My friend Tracy and her family invited Sophie and I to go to a pick your own berry and veggies at the Parkside Farm just outside of London. It was a gorgeous day! Around 70 degree! Fantastic! There were so few people on the farm being late in the season and a weekday morning, the kids were able to run around without getting lost or in the way, it was perfect.
Our first mission was the strawberries. They have the cleverest way of growing the berries--their late summer "everbearer" strawberries are now exclusively grown on a "Table-Top System" which allows you to pick without bending. You can pick strawberries all day without ever having to bend over--what a saviour for your back! And there were lots of strawberries hanging over the sides of the "tables" just perfect for kids to pick! After Sophie had eaten more berries than she picked and her face was smeared red, we went on to pick some fresh cucumber, okay one, these were almost done; some courgettes (zucchini), french beans, sweet corn (to die for!) and Sophie picked one mini squash that looked like a pumpkin. She did also help our friends pick some beetroot (beets) which is really popular here, mostly in a pickled way I believe. Not a fan of beets in anyway shape or form...
Later that day I made my great grandma's berry pie recipe with the fresh strawberries for the Longhurt's which didn't quite set, but they were kind and said it still tasted great. I don't think I added enough tapioca, which thankfully my best friend Teresa sent me from the US (which cost her almost $10 in postage to send me, ridiculous!). The next pie...
Visiting the Prince of Wales home
Today we took a tour of the Clarence House which is the official London residence of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. It was designed by John Nash for William IV in 1827. It is very much a working house. While it is beautiful and significant in size, a bit larger than my 750 square foot flat, it is not extravagant or gaudy. The thing that we liked most about it was that you were able to get up close and personal with the items in the rooms (of course you can't touch them, but if you wanted to you were in within the vicinity to do so). Prince Charles has the picture of his wedding to Camilla (the one that was in all the papers) framed on a table, and cheeky snapshots of the boys when they were little. There are some interesting art pieces and antiques that date back hundreds of years. A more recent addition to the house was a harp which was unbelievable gorgeous, my favorite piece! The tour was a mere 45 minutes, but it was personal instead of headsets like at Buckingham, but there was much less to see. The crowds are definitely smaller to get into the Clarence House as well, but it was worth the visit. Like Buckingham, the Clarence House is only open once a year for a few weeks.
After our visit to the Clarence House we were able to catch the changing of the guard ceremony at the Horse Guards Parade. It was quite uneventful, but the horses and uniforms the guards wear are gorgeous! We walked down "The Mall" to Leicester Square for a quick lunch as a family then onto the tube for Jer to get back to work and Sophie and I to head home for naps...what a Monday.
Jeremy is a circus star!
Sophie, Jeremy and I went to Zippo's circus, Britian's favorite circus, who celebrates its 20 year anniversary this season. It was set up in the Hampstead Heath where the fun fair usually is so we were able to walk to it which was nice. The circus was under a real circus tent and of course there was a ring master, a live orchestra, some clowns (the main one was fresh from America), a juggling family, a woman who did some tricks in the air on a piece of silk (no safety ropes!), a few other high air performers, a woman balancing and twirling things with her feet, a bird act, and of course the horses and equestrian act.
The audience was not that big and no one was volunteering at one point to assist with an act so Jeremy being a good sport, and having no idea what he was getting into, volunteered. Well, he got a helmet on, got attached to a rope and then he was off running and jumping onto one of the horses! From the ground! He was successful amazingly! Then he was riding around the ring hanging on for dear life several times, the ring master yelled "knees up" and Jeremy actually got up on the horse on his knees without falling off! Then the ring master yelled "let go" and yes he did let go and the clowns hoisted him into the air where he was spinning around the ring like a trouper! It was hilarious. The clowns seriously looked scared that he might squash them like a bug! What a star! Bummer that the battery on our camera died so I don't have documentation of his big debut, but Sophie can tell you the story!
It was worth the visit just to see Jeremy ride that horse! But we had a great time. Sophie had her first taste of candy floss aka cotton candy. When we asked her what it tasted like she said "sugar"! Nice! 
A few small things that add up to one post...
So I don't have enough per item to create a post for each so decided I would combine various small odd items into one...
Sophie and I were walking up our street the other day when we saw the weirdest "slug" with a blue horn! When I touched it with a stick it went crazy squirming around using that horn to fend me off. Of course, I had to find out what this odd creature was. After searching for some time on slugs I realized it wasn't a slug and tried to search under worms and finally realized that it was some type of caterpillar that we saw on our sidewalk. It was a Lime Hawk-moth Mimas tiliae. Which is a reasonably common species in the southern half of Britain, it was most frequent in the London area, where there are still extensive tree-lined avenues, which ours is. They are typically green with yellow stripes and a blue horn at the rear. When ready to pupate, they change colour to a dull greyish or purplish and begin to wander, looking for a pupation site. This is when they are most often encountered, which is obviously why we saw him. 
On a more exciting note we walked by Helena Bonham Carter on the high street in Hampstead yesterday. She was pushing her son in his buggy chatting with a friend pushing her child in a buggy as well. She dresses so funky and cool--you can tell she has some money.
We got a note in our mail slot from the BBC Waking The Dead VI that they will be in film production from 12:00 to 22:30 in an apartment at Parliament Court, further down Parliament Hill from our flat. They will be filming for the majority of the time inside one of the apartments and about 20:00 will be in the front entrance to the middle section of the block finishing around 22:30--I may just have to go out for an evening stroll to be nosy....I wish I had a television, I am so out of pop culture here!
Finally, I was at the first board meeting for the Hampstead Women's Club at a member's house up in the Hampstead Garden Suburb last week. At the end of her block lives Jonathon Ross an English television and radio presenter. He has a beautiful house as all the houses in that area are. He didn't pop out and say hello though...Oh and on the way to the meeting we drove by the house of the former King of Greece, Constantine of Greece. Life is so interesting and filled with celebrities in London.
A hot day in Chelsea
Today we spent a steamy day in the Chelsea area. The temperature was in the 70's! We spent most of the morning at the National Army Museum. For someone into the military and the history of war it would probably be quite interesting. We were less than interested. The Museum contains some nice pieces of military/war art. I enjoyed seeing all the different uniforms worn. Sophie liked seeing all the horses and mini videos they had throughout the Museum. The highlight of the Museum was the Kid's Zone area they have for kids which is also free. Sophie had a great time running around the soft play area with her daddy, playing with the Lego's and a tree house reading area.
Next we walked to the Thames River and enjoyed watching the water and having a snack in the sun. We stopped into the Chelsea Old Church for a quick look around. This church has been rebuilt after WWII, but the glory of the church is its Tudor monuments. We next made our way to King's Road and enjoyed window shopping and popping into some of the interesting shops. Overall, Chelsea is a beautiful area with some great flats and architecture and a long high street with interesting shops. An enjoyable day out...
A celebrity at the next table
I need to learn to pay more attention to people around me. I was so engrossed in conversation at a dinner at the Horseshoe last night, that I had no idea the actor Alan Rickman was at a table right next to us. I admit that I did not even see his face, but the women I was with were positive it was him. They didn't mention it until he left. I would have recognized him as I just saw Sense and Sensibility, but unfortunately I did not know his name. Any Harry Potter fans would probably know him as Professor Snape. I did enjoy a fantastic dinner, one of the best I have had in London, good wine (a bit too much of this) and great conversation. So nice to have adult conversation once in a while...So do I get to count this as another celebrity sighting?
A Windy Day in Greenwich
Today we ventured out taking the tube and light rail to Greenwich. The views were interesting through the Canary Wharf area, lots of modern buildings, water, and very little green space.
We first explored the Greenwich Market. It is rated in the top five markets of London. It had a nice variety of goods and it was not crowded, always a plus for us trying to get around with a buggy. We enjoyed it.
After a quick lunch we made our way through the Greenwich park to the Royal Observatory which is home of the Prime Meridian (Longitude 0 degrees, 0' 0") Greenwich Mean Time and the world-famous Harrison marine timekeepers. It was founded in 1675 by King Charles II and designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The original purpose was to provide accurate charts of the stars to improve navigation. Of course we had to be true tourists and get pictures with me and Sophie standing on each side of the Prime Meridian line being in two hemispheres at one time! The views of the city are fantastic from the Observatory.
The Greenwich Park was originally the grounds of a royal palace. It is a great park and though the flower garden past peak they still had a lot of color. After taking some photos of Sophie smelling flowers she took a nice nap in her buggy. We took advantage and visited the Queen's House next.
The Queen's House is England's first purely classical building. It was designed by Indigo Jones in 1616 as a retreat for King James I queen, Anne of Denmark. Since that time it has seen lots of changes and been put to many uses. It had some beautiful art, but was quite disappointing as most of it was closed for refurbishment. When London hosts the Olympics in 2012, the equestrian events will be held on the land behind the house. We assumed this is why the house is undergoing extensive work now.
A church of note in the area is St. Alfege. It has significance in English history, most interesting to me was that King Henry VIII was baptized in it. It was a small and basic church having seen a lot of change since the 11th century.
After visiting another small market, we headed to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel. The 1,200 foot long tunnel was opened in 1902 (it looked like it) to allow south London laborers to walk to work in the docks. It was worth crossing to see the views from the other side of the Thames. I have to admit it was a bit unsettling to be walking under the river. Thankfully they have elevators to bring you up and down to the tunnel, the stairs looked brutal!
While the day was very grey and rain was anticipated, we only got a few sprinkles, but the wind was unbelievable strong. And with potty training continuing, Sophie did great. It is amazing at how in tuned you get to knowing where the nearest public restroom is at all times when you have a child in training...
