posted by Chris @ 10:47 PM
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We had a busy weekend in and around the city...
On Saturday morning while Sophie and Jeremy ran errands, I enjoyed some pampering at the Natura Day Spa in Hampstead using a gift voucher I received. My fingernails and toenails are in tip top shape and thankfully I still have enough to enjoy a massage at a later date.
After lunch, we strolled leisurely through the Heath to the Kenwood House for a lovely first birthday celebration at the Old Kitchen. Sophie loves birthday parties and this was no exception. She had a great time playing with her friends, Jake, Megan, Sam and Harry and eating delicious jelly sandwiches, lovely sweets, and of course birthday cake. Mummy enjoyed the champagne. After the party, the kids had a great time playing on the grounds of the House. Sophie climbed her first tree and said, "I will climb trees everyday, forever!" What a monkey!
Jeremy and I had dinner plans that evening also with our friends the Longhursts. All of us celebrate birthdays within a month of each other and this was our birthday dinner rescheduled. We enjoyed a Mexican meal at a local restaurant called Mestizo, excellent! Great meals and conversation. So nice to be adults once in a while!
On Sunday, we decided to hit some markets in the Spitalfields area of London. First we made our way to the Petticoat Lane Market. This was an interesting market with lots of cheap clothes, watches, purses, scarfs, fabrics, household goods, and lots of diversity. We liked the feel of it, lots of energy. Probably the most famous and oldest of all London's street markets, Petticoat Lane was established over 400 years ago and attracts visitors from all over the world. We bought Sophie a formal dress for a mere 3 pounds.
Next, we made our way to another market, but we are not sure what the name of this market was. It had higher end clothes, many by designers just starting out; food stalls similar to Borough Market with cheeses, bakery, olives, sandwiches; and lots of other artists making jewelery, purses, etc. This market felt a lot like the one in Greenwich.
We then purchased some lunch at the local Tesco's we took a bus to try to find the Geffrye Museum where we planned to enjoy a picnic in the garden. The ride should have been about 15 minutes, but we missed the stop and there was no safe looking area for another 15 minutes. We were in a rough part of London. Finally we saw some green space and exited the bus immediately to get some air, have lunch and regroup. We were really missing our little Heath!
After a quick lunch we got back on the bus and eventually found the Geffrye Museum. Jeremy and Sophie played in the garden while I enjoyed the museum. The Geffrye Museum is one of London’s best-loved museums. It shows the changing style of the English domestic interior in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day. I always enjoy the period rooms. There was also a special exhibition on home and garden art. Several of the pieces featured gardens from the Hampstead area.
More public transport problems on the way back to the flat, but finally we arrived so exhausted we had to order pizza and then I went to bed 3o minutes after Sophie...total public transport time 2.5-3 hours! Wish we had a car....
posted by Chris @ 10:26 PM
The framing on the house continues...here are the latest photos of our house progress. We are so excited to see it in person next week when we return to the US for two weeks! Cheers!
posted by Chris @ 7:26 AM
The blog and our Shutterfly accounts are officially up to date with all our recent adventures. Please make sure you didn't miss anything as I made updates at various times this week of different dates so they may be arranged in a different order. Enjoy!
posted by Chris @ 5:54 PM
I am trying to take full advantage of Sophie being at Nursery three mornings a week now by visiting the last few museums and sites that are on my "things to see in London" list before our time is up. This morning I headed to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. If you have read his books and are a fan, this is the place for you. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective lived at 221b Baker Street which is where the museum is located. It is furnished exactly as described in books. It was interesting to have a look around, but the gift shop was more enjoyable, they really have a lot of items in here and of course lots of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.
posted by Chris @ 4:09 PM
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The weather in London has been amazing! On Sunday we decided we needed a lazy family day outside, so we headed west on the train to a town called Richmond. This quaint village took its name from the palace that Henry VII built there in 1500. It is right on the River Thames and has great little side streets all over which we explored.
We took full advantage of the weather and river by taking a 
45-minute cruise on a riverboat. Sophie was a bit tired and could have used an early nap, so the trip was a bit less than relaxing. The views were interesting, lots of old boats, great gardens and gorgeous houses along the way. Later I actually walked barefoot down a street that was flooded a bit from the Thames, to get to a park Jeremy decided wanted to walk too. I was less than thrilled about this (see photo). But officially we have now been in the Thames River.
After our river boat cruise we picked up lunch at a local grocery store and made our way to a local park and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch, Sophie's favorite. We eat, played, and enjoyed the sun. It was a great day without itinerary (which is usually my way) and still experiencing a new area. Great end to the week!
To see more photos from this day, please visit our Shutterfly account.
posted by Chris @ 4:20 PM
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There is a fabulous store in Hampstead on Flask Walk that we are in love 
with. It has more pink, fluffy fairy products than you can ever imagine all packed into one quaint little store called Mystical Fairies. Sophie has been waiting to turn 3 so she could attend fairy school and learn all there is know about being a fairy. She finally got her chance to attend this exciting program. Sophie she loved every minute of fairy school and especially her teacher Fairy Rose. There were crafts, games, signing, a bit of drama, dancing, flying around like fairies and of course fairy cakes to decorate and eat. We had a fun filled two hour fairy class. It was a little expensive, but worth every pence. And, of course Sophie passed with fairy colours...
For all photos please see our Shutterfly account.
posted by Chris @ 9:37 AM
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After Paris, Jeremy's mom Patty had six more days to enjoy in London. Patty's sister Karen traveled over the course of three days back to Italy with her son Joel where she spent the remainder of her holiday.
On Friday, April 6, Jeremy and Patty visited the Tower of London. Sophie and mommy had a low-key day at the flat, catching up. Patty loved the Tower! This was the highlight of the trip for her. And, while this was Jeremy's second visit to the Tower, he was without child and able to take in more of it than during our first visit. The weather was great, they experienced an excellent tour from a Yeoman Warder and both thoroughly enjoyed the visit! That evening we went out for a nice birthday dinner at the Gaucho Grill up the high street. We all had excellent meals! 
We had planned to go to a family show at a theatre on Saturday. The tickets turned out to be too pricey, so we went to a local cinema to watch Happy Feet which Sophie adored! She is very good at mimicking the Happy Feet dance which is hilarious! A nice relaxing day with dinner at the flat.
On Easter Sunday, after the joys of the Easter Bunny, we made our way to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guards. There were more people at the Palace than we had ever seen DOUBLED! More then in high tourist season in June even! Unbelievable what a holiday will do! There was no way we were getting close to the gates of the Palace even an hour before that we were there. So we found a front row spot along a railing on one of the streets that we knew the guards would walk by. Patty got a good view of them from 
there and was content. We then made our way through the park, enjoying the flowers and birds. We walked through the Horse Guards Parade area where we all got photos with the Horse Guards and Sophie enjoyed a licking by one of the horses. Then onto to Trafalgar Square and lunch at Wagamama, our favourite noodle bar. After a walk to Piccadily Circus and then a tube ride to find Harrod's closed, but we window shopped anyway. That evening we ate out at Toast up the high street. Patty wanted to 
try a traditional fish and chips, as her first experience with the fish and chips was not traditional. She didn't quite get traditional chips, but enjoyed it anyway.
Monday was spent at Windsor Castle. We had a good visit, enjoyed the doll house room, the state rooms, and St. George's Church. We got there early enough to avoid long queues and even got to enjoy a close up view of the Changing of the Guards. Sophie is in love with guards. They have had a big impact on her. The Guard at Windsor will be a story she treasures her entire life! We were all taking our turns getting photos taken with the guard standing post near the exit of the Castle. I asked Sophie if she could be brave and stand by the guard all by herself. In the past when we have asked this question, the answer has been no. But obviously she was feeling brave and agreed. I also asked her to show the guard how she can march, which she did proudly in front of him after daddy took her photo. She stamped her foot so proudly. This young chap obviously was very kind as he then gave Sophie a special move, clicking his feet together, stamping them and nodding to her getting back into his position! She loved it! I am not sure how often if ever this happens, but it sure made her day! Special attention from a guard! What a great 
experience!
After the Castle, we enjoyed lunch at a local Italian restaurant. Next we enjoyed some shopping in Windsor. The town is very quaint with lots of standard shops, and some very unique. Patty bought a scarf and I bought a proper English hat. It is gorgeous and I can't wait for an occasion to wear it. Then I will just have to buy a new outfit to match!
posted by Chris @ 5:07 PM
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This trip included Jeremy, Sophie, myself and Jeremy's mom Patty and her sister Karen. The goal was to see the main sights in Paris and to visit the house and area in Parcay (central France) that Patty and Karen lived for three years when their father was in the military, 40 years ago this May...
On Sunday, April 1 we adventured to Paris again on the Eurostar. This time we actually had first class tickets which Jeremy's mom Patty had secured for us in the US (they were actually $1 cheaper than coach!). What a difference! The seats are more roomy, which was great for us since we had 4 adults and one child (who shared a bit of all 4 of our seats). Lunch and drinks were included. The meal was actually good, and so nice to have all drinks provided. It really helped make the 3-hour trip fly by. When we got to Paris it was sunny and beautiful. We had our metro tickets left over from our last trip and being familiar with the system we got to our hotel quite quickly. This trip we stayed at a Hilton Hotel which was clean, and spacious for Paris standards. After we got settled into our rooms and had a little break it was time to venture into the city.
Jeremy, Sophie and I decided to try a museum we didn't get to during our last trip, while Patty and her sister Karen we all about the shopping. Unfortunately for us the museum queue was even longer this time! We decided that since it was such a beautiful day standing in line for 1-2 hours to go inside the museum was not the best idea, so we enjoyed a stroll around Paris with no itinerary (Jeremy's favorite approach). So we casually made our way through the city enjoying the atmosphere of Paris and a well missed friend in London, the sun. We met up with Patty and Karen at Notre Dame and headed to dinner. Last time in Paris we ate at a great Italian restaurant (American size portions) with Jeremy's sister and her husband called PastaPapa. The gnocchi was the best I had ever had, it was the only dish we ordered that night that we completely finished. Thus, after all our raving about the restaurant Patty and Karen wanted to try it too! Again, another completely delicious meal!
On Monday after a traditional French breakfast at a cafe near our hotel, we went to see the Arc de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower. It was another gorgeous sunny day and seeing both sites again were enjoyable. At the Eiffel Tower we took some time for Sophie to enjoy a carousel and ice cream. She was very happy! 
Patty, Karen, Sophie and I made our way back to the hotel to collect our luggage while Jeremy went to get our rental car. Amazingly he got the car and made it to the hotel without incident or getting lost. Next it was time to get through Paris to the freeway and make our way into the countryside via car! This was only our second time renting a car in Europe, but thankfully we drive on the same side as the French. Jeremy did an excellent job with the aggressive driving! I was a bit stressed of course being in the front and responsible for map reading until Jeremy clearly realized I was struggling and Karen kicked in and saved the day. We did go around the round-a-bout at the Arc de Triumph and even though Jeremy knew where to exit he wanted to go around one complete time just to do so. What an experience! Six lanes of road going around in a circle with no clear boundaries--WOW! We did make it out of the city nicely and onto the Peripherique (the main freeway that circles the outside of the city). We stuck to the main freeway and were surprised by the 10 Euro toll when we exited. There was not very much scenery to enjoy along the way of the freeway, it looked just like any freeway in the US so we decided to exit and go on smaller roads the rest of the way. This was a great decision! Not only did we avoid more tolls, but it was a slower going ride with quaint towns, better scenery, and overall more relaxing. We stopped for lunch halfway in the town of Orlean. After a decent and fulfilling lunch we continued onto towards the Chateau du Boisrenault in Buzancais 
which Karen found online and booked for us. What a nice change from the city! The Chateau was very quaint and had lots of character, very French! Fabulous being in the French countryside on my birthday (April 3). Jeremy, Patty, Sophie and I shared a room as did Karen and Joel. What a great experience. We stayed in the Veronique room and Karen and Joel in the Elfie (you can view all on their website). Our room had a balcony that overlooked a field, very peaceful views complete with shutters that we did close to keep in the heat and the sunlight out. In the morning, we enjoyed the breakfast of croissants, french bread, coffee/tea/chocolate.
The mission on Tuesday was to drive to Parcay to see the house that Patty and Karen lived for three years. This was Joel's (Karen son) third trip to the area so he knew his way around the roads well and Karen had visited the house several years ago, and gotten a personal tour of the house and grounds from the current owners. Unfortunately the owners were out of town on the day we visited so we were not able to get into the gates. We still had decent views of the house. We walked around the immediate area. Karen and Patty reminisced about what things had changed, what was still the same, and the many memories they had while living there. It was a great experience to see and hear all these stories of their childhood. I hope we documented it well with photos and videos. Four generations of the Loisel family have now walked in that French area. This was a very special part of the trip, very sentimental!
Next, we made our way to Chateau de Valencay. Patty had visited this on a fieldtrip when she was in school in France. Château de Valençay is a residence of the d'Estampes and Talleyrand-Perigord families. The manor was praised as "one of the most beautiful on earth" by George Sand, who also noted that "no king has owned a more picturesque park". Patty wanted to see this as adult. It was much different than she had remembered, but a large portion of the Chateau was under construction. It was an enjoyable nonetheless. The grounds were gorgeous! Flowers, fountains, and French all rolled into one experience.
After the Chateau de Valencay we went back to the Chateau du Boisenrault to relax and freshen up for dinner. Eating in France has been challenging and that night was no exemption. Several restaurants were recommended to us by the Chateau. It is hard to please all, but we looked for something affordable, accepting of children, and close by. We drove into the villages nearby and after an hour, stopping at three restaurants, losing each other at one point (way to go Joel...) we finally agreed upon a restaurant. Ordering was an interesting experience. The menus were all in French as they should be, and all of us knew some French, some of us more than others, it was a bit of a struggle. I made a huge error of asking if they had any other vegetarian options than just the salad and cheese plate. I'm sure I looked like a deer in headlights during their entire explanation and then just got a salad anyway and no cheese plate, which is what I wanted as well. Oh well. Patty I think got the worst meal of all. She ordered a sausage, but it was a sausage that turned out to be so vial that Jeremy couldn't even swallow his bite of it. It was obviously a specific type of sausage, like strong cheese and marmite, that has to grow on you. So Patty and I were a bit hungry after dinner. Karen, Joel, and Jeremy had palatable meals thankfully. And, while there were several other couples and individuals in the restaurant, it was so quiet in there that we were by far the loudest people there, though we were trying hard not to be "typical" loud Americans. Sorry with no background music or other people speaking this was impossible. Joel works in Italy and had brought some wine with him to France which we shared that evening. For me, the wine made up for the terrible dinner I had. Cheers Joel!
posted by Chris @ 1:59 PM
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This blog is a diary of the 2005-2007 adventures of the Welsand family living in London, traveling throughout Europe, experiencing life to the fullest.
