Family Blog

Edinburgh Part Two

2012-02-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

After the Castle, we began strolling downthe Royal Mile, but decided to detour to the Hard Rock Cafe as they are one ofJacob's very favorite restaurants. Itwas good to get out of the cold (about 4 degrees Celsius, which is around 37 orso Fahrenheit) and give the kids a taste of America. They need that now & then to helpmanaging all the strange and challenging amounts of different theyexperience. They loved every bit of it,especially the digital display of all the musical treasures in the Hard Rockcollection. I suppose Z didn't loveevery bit- when I told him to eat his oranges he informed me "I don'tactually prefer oranges."

We headed back to the royal mile (which isa mile long street of shops and restaurants that leads from the EdinburghCastle to the Palace of Holyrood-the official residence of the RoyalFamily). We picked up a few souvenirsand poked around a bit before happening upon a street performer juggling firepins. When we arrived, he was gettingready to do the grand finale- balancing on a board while juggling the firepins. He included 3 members of theaudience to hand him the pins one by one. It was fun and even in those few moments, a great show.

A little bit further down the road we foundan accordion player playing a medley of Lady Gaga's hits (Bad Romance &Poker Face). We also heard severaldifferent bag pipers- one playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the othermore traditional bag pipe music.

We happened upon the Museum of Childhood,so decided to pop in and check it out. It was a delightful little museum of toys from the ages. It was also warm, so a double win for thekids. After a short visit, we headedback towards our flat. We took our time,enjoying the amazing architecture and stopped in the Disney Store (making bigpoints with the kids again). Around theblock from our hotel was a Tesco that would pass as an American supermarket -it was huge! For the first time sincebeing in the UK, the five of us could walk in the grocery store withoutcreating a massive bottleneck. We pickedup the traditional Rousu Sunday Feast-frozen pizza- and headed back to our homeaway from home away from home for an early evening in to rest up for one lastday in Edinburgh.

Our final day in Edinburgh started a littleoff kilter. We began by attempting tofind Adam Smith's grave (author of The Wealth of Nations, a formative economicbook). We saw many, many old graves, butnot Adam Smith's (it is possible we saw it, but could not read it through theage and abundant moss on many graves).

He's on the list, but nowhere to be found!

Next, we attempted to visit the Museum of Edinburgh, but most of it wasunder construction. However, we diddiscover the story of Greyfriar Bobby, which the kids found delightful. Greyfriar Bobby was a dog that belonged to apolice officer. When his master died thelegend says that Greyfriar Bobby kept vigil over his grave for 14 years. The locals began taking care of the puppy-leaving food for him & taking him in on cold nights. A law was passed requiring all dogs to havetags or be put down, but the people of the neighborhood protested on Bobby'sbehalf and the mayor gave him his own collar and tags. As he aged, a family who owned a pub took himin and cared for him. After Bobby died,a wealthy woman of the area paid for a statue of Bobby to be put on theneighborhood. A Disney movie was madeabout Bobby in 1961

We ended up having lunch at the puboriginally owned by the family who took Bobby in and cared for him in his oldage. It was a lovely pub with greatservice and yummy fish and chips and burgers (we attempted to have moreScottish meal, but they were out of Sausage and tatties).

After lunch, we visited the enormous Museumof Scotland. There was far more therethan we could ever begin to take in with three tired kiddos, but we tried. We saw Mary, Queen of Scot's tomb and many ofKing James VI (or James II in England as he was the king who united the twocountries peacefully when he became king of England after Elizabeth I died andleft no heirs) relics. I hadn't realized the day before as we heard about this King James that he was the King James in theKing James Bible translation. Learningso much.

The kids enjoyed the science and technologypart of the museum that was full of gadgets and interactive displays. We used physical effort to power light bulbs,a radio, a fan and a tv, tried our hand at being energy minister for a makebelieve country and played with robots. Lots of fun!

After we had our museum quota for the day,we headed back to the Royal Mile, to do as little more shopping and peoplewatching. We stopped in St Giles Cathedral,which charged £2 for the privilege of taking photos (hence no photosthere). It was lovely and completelyunlike cathedrals in the US in that there were many monuments and statuary fordeceased members of the church all over the cathedral. We haven't visited Westminster Abbey or anyof the other big London churches, so it was our first experience with that kindof opulence in a church. The joke in theUK is that all their museums are free, but they charge to visit thechurches. Too true- there are collectionbuckets at every corner inside St Giles.

Aside from a quick stop at McDonalds on theway to the train, that was pretty much our trip to Edinburgh. It was a fast trip, but a good one. After being used to London prices, it feltquite inexpensive. Every time we werewalking on the streets, I was just amazed at the beauty of the city- thearchitecture is incredible. Once again, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this opportunity. We are so blessed.

Traveling to Edinburgh and a Castle Visit

2012-02-02T15:10:00.000-08:00

As Jacob mentioned in his post, we spent Saturday-Monday in Edinburgh, Scotland. I kept a bit of a journal of our trip and thought I'd share. It's a bit long, so I'll break it into two parts.

Our trip to got off to a bit of arocky start. We forgot the passports atour flat, so Matt graciously ran back (not a short run either) to pick themup. He arrived back within two minutesof the next subway train towards Kings Cross station. We rushed between the tube and the train station only to discoverour train was delayed due to a train break down at Peterburgh. So we stood around and waited, wondering whatwas happening. Of course, as soon asMatt and Jacob were in the bathroom there was an announcement that our trainwas boarding and would be leaving momentarily. Panic!

A kind woman at the platform kept an eyeout for them while Allison, Zeke & I hustled towards the train. The boys caught up and we tried to ask forhelp finding our carriage, but were told just to take a seat, any seat. The earlier train was cancelled and combinedwith ours so the reserved seats were no longer so reserved. Excellent....

We found seats just as the train startedmoving and got settled in for a four hour trip. Not long after we started, the train cameto an abrupt stop. Then, a moment later, thesheepish conductor announced a large farm animal onthe tracks that caused us to stop. Can you believe a random bullgot on the track and was making his way north on the train tracks? Perhaps he fancied a weekend in Edinburghtoo?

The bull was coerced into moving (in myimagination, he was enticed with sweets and biscuits, not cattle prods or otherharsh methods. And yes, I do try to seethe rosy side of life whenever possible. Just call me Pollyanna). We wereoff again and everyone settled into occupying themselves with their gadgets,books and toys. Train travel is bumpy,really bumpy, like turbulence in air travel all the time. Yet because we are on the ground & notthousands of feet in the air, I'm ok with the turbulence. I have no more control on a train than in theair, but it feels (probably falsely) much safer.

Four hours later, we arrived and took a taxi to our hotel. It felt strangeto be in a car after all this time on trains and buses. Our taxi driver was very helpful in tellingus what to see and do and where to eat near our hotel. We picked up Chinese from the place acrossthe street and had a quick meal before shuffling everyone off to bed. By 10:45 all was quiet on the Eastern front.

Our first full day exploring Edinburghcould have been a disaster as Zeke didn’t sleep very well and he said he didn’twant to go anywhere. Allison saved theday by convincing him that we'd seecannons like on Jake & the Neverland Pirate’s ship at the EdinburghCastle. From then on, he was atrooper. In fact, all three kids wereamazing. We walked ALOT and it was coldand they really didn't complain or whine or bicker. Yeah Rousu Kids!

We started the day at Edinburgh Castle,which has a very interesting history. Itsits on mountain made from an Ice Ageera volcano and was home to many of Scotland's royal family as well as afortress for Oliver Cromwell and prison for prisoners of war during the1700-1800s. The Scottish crown jewelsare there as well as a beautiful memorial to all Scottish soldiers killed inWWI and beyond. We had an amazing tourguide in a kilt, which made it feel more authentic than the others wearingtheir red Edinburgh Castle sweatshirts and jeans. The kids adored running around the castle andplaying around the cannons. Matt & I enjoyedthe spectacular views and rich history.

Matt and Kids in front of Edinburgh Castle

Cannon balls for Mons Meg (a huge medieval cannon)

Our Tour Guide

St Margaret's Chapel, built in the 13th century by David II in honor of his mother who was sainted for her generosity to the poor as queen.

St Margaret in stained glass

Stained glass in St. Margaret's Chapel

Part Two coming soon- the rest of Sunday and Monday- including a fire juggler, a story that inspired Disney and a modern accordion player.

Update from Matt

2012-02-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

Jacob and Amanda will keep you up to date on our recent exploits, so just a few brief notes:

New places I visited:

The Bank of England Museum (see Jacob's post)
Edinburgh (see Amanda's (upcoming) post for many details)
Wicked, the Musical (outstanding)
She Stoops to Conquer (a play - went with Allison. We went to a pre-theatre feast at the natural restaurant to attend before a play - Subway!)
The Tower of London (brief visit - we got a great deal on a family pass to see five different castles/attractions, so we don't have to do it all at once)

We've now been here just over a month, which means our trip is 1/4 over. What's so great about being here for four months is I don't feel like we're rushed, yet we're still getting to visit all sorts of outstanding places and attractions. This weekend is a bit quiet (no plans as of now), but we have plenty of stuff to check out. I'm going to stay up late to watch the super bowl as well. Really, the next 2 1/2 weeks are about as quiet as we'll get. There is a Fullham football match the kids and I will go to one week from Saturday, but that's about it.

Also, the students I'm dealing with here are simply outstanding. Bad things could still happen, of course, but this group is quite mature and punctual for 21-year olds.

All for now.

Jacob's Fifth Post

2012-02-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a long time, so this is going to be a LONG post.

First, let's start with The Lion King The Musical. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's unlike any other musical you'll ever see, in a good way. However, the moment Scar dies is so brutal, I almost felt sorry for him. But other than that, it's the best musical ever and you have to see it. It's the same story as the movie it was based on, but with more humor, more music, and LOTS of puppets and puppetry. (if the puppet part sounds lame to you, then see it and see what you think afterwards.)

A few days ago, we went to the bank of England. It was so cool. I got to touch a gold bar, (it was really heavy, but I lifted it up a few inches.) and I learned that no piece of gold is 100% gold. I also learned a few security features of the British note, including the metallic thread, the see through feature, and the raised print.

Now for the good stuff. Four to five days ago, I was on a train headed for Edinburgh, home of J.K. Rowling. It was a wonderful experience, but you shouldn't go if you don't like bagpipes, because you'll hear them everywhere. We got to see (and eat in) the restaurant where they fed Greyfriers Bobby, a dog whose police owner died. We also got to see the restaurant where J.K. Rowling wrote the first bit of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. (the restaurant is called The Elephant House) [Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the official and original name for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, they changed it when the USA got a release because the publishers {scholastic} thought kids and adults from America would be more interested in it if they changed the Philosopher's Stone into the the Sorcerer's Stone, so she did, creating a mistake that she would regret later.] We stayed in a 4 star hotel with really nice furniture. There was a Disney store near us that we kept on running into. Anyways, the train back was going until about 11:30 P.M. A little bit of advice for late travel with kids, avoid it at all cost. I'm still recovering from that disastrous night of no sleep. So now you're pretty much caught up with what's happening around here.

Arts Make a Mamma Happy!

2012-01-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was filled with the arts. What a joy to be able to see magnificent art and professional theatre without needing to drive for hours to get there!

We began Friday morning by spending a little time at the British Museum looking at some of the ancient Greek and Roman pottery and sculptures. We are trying to take small bites of the elephant that is the British Museum, because it is enormous and overwhelming as a whole. Our brief trip Friday included the Nereid Monument, which was a tomb for a ruler of the Lycians in about 380 B.C. The natives got restless, so we headed on to see some art.

The Nereid Monument and Allison and Zeke posing in front of a Greek sculpture of the goddess Aphrodite.

I had intended to take the kids to the National Portrait Gallery, where they would choose their favorite portrait/person and do some research on who that person what in the history of Great Britain to share. However, the walk between the British Museum and Trafalgar Square was long and rainy, so we went to the National Gallery instead as it was slightly closer. I picked up a children's trail of the gallery called "Magnificent Blooms" and we were off to look for seven special paintings in our book. The boys quickly tired of this search, but they did enjoy seeing the paintings depicting Biblical scenes and scenes from Greek and Roman mythology as they knew the stories. Allison enjoyed all of it, so I think we will go back, just the two of us. We saw Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers and several Monets, which are stunning in person.

Yesterday, Matt and I were fortunate to have two students come and babysit so that we could go out to the theatre. Matt went to the TKTS booth on Leicester Square and we got great tickets for Jersey Boys (Row O on the main floor) for a really cheap price. On our way to the theatre, we stopped at a coffee shop (yes, really) and sat outside people watching and enjoying the day and one another. It was probably 45 -50 degrees with a bit of a breeze (as usual in London), so Americans would never consider sitting outside, but it was lovely. Then it was off to Jersey Boys. The show was excellent but I have never seen a professional actor so obviously managing his energy for a matinee performance as the man who played Frankie Valli did. He sounded fabulous, but had absolutely no energy or spunk. Good show otherwise, but kind of a bummer to see a lead, Olivier winning actor on a very off day.

Sunday after church, we headed to get lunch before taking the kids to The Lion King. This was a Christmas gift from Grandma Jeanne and Zeke in particular was very excited. It was a delightful afternoon! The kids adored every bit of the Lion King. Jacob noticed that in the back of the playbill (which in London you buy instead of receiving when you are seated) that they are "always looking for 8-12 year olds to play Simba and Nala." His dream part, he informed us. Alas, the child is white as white can be, so probably not the ideal candidate. I'm sure when we attend Matilda (a new musical based on the Roald Dahl book) in March, he and Allison will be just as enraptured.

One of my favorite things about being here is getting to expose the kids (and ourselves) amazing cultural opportunities. It is such a delight to introduce them to these great works of art, whether they appreciate them or not. We are so blessed to have this opportunity.

Update

2012-01-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

Thursday:
A tour of Fuller's Brewery. London's Pride is their biggest beer, but they sell other brands. I think it was OK, but I preferred the tour I got in the US at Yingling. Definitely the worst of the tours I've had this term. That being said, that's more because all the tours have been so outstanding, not that this was bad.

Friday:
We had a quick visit to the National Gallery in the morning, which was quite amazing. I'm not a huge art buff by any means, but these paintings were pretty cool amazing and the gallery does a good job of describing each painting in a plaque nearby. As far as the kids interest - Allison loved it. Jacob and Zeke endured without complaining. When I say without complaining, I mean only some complaining. OK, so they complained a lot, but they got over it.

Saturday:
The kids had their drama classes in the morning. Amanda and I then had a sitter and went to Jersey Boys. I'll leave the commentary on the show to her, but I thought it was great but I doubt I'll go again. The kids loved their sitters, which is always good.

Sunday:
The whole family went to the Lion King. All the kids loved it (parents liked it too). Jacob was interested when he read their looking for kids between 8-12 to play Simba. After watching the show he was a bit disappointed thinking he might be "too white" for the part.

Monday:
An afternoon walk down Oxford Street, which is (according to Heather D.) the longest street of shops in Europe. We went into the bookstore, Waterstones, which was really neat for all and also went to Farley's toy store again.

Tuesday:
I worked most of the day - nothing too fun.

Wednesday:
I worked from home in the morning, but then in the afternoon, my work consisted of having to go to two plays with the program. Noises Off was the night play and it was funny. The first one, however, was the best play I've ever seen - One Man, Two Guvnors. There was a bit of improv and our crowd was a bit rambunctious. This included an upper deck person throwing unwrapped twix bars on stage. This was not planned, but the main character rolled with it well. (He noted he asked for a sandwich and then noted he was in 1963 and wondering if that was really around then. The crowd was really into it.)

Thursday:
An Olympics tour - the others have posted about that.

No pictures here - see the other posts.

All for now

Olympics Walking Tour

2012-01-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

Today, we had the opportunity to take an Olympic walking tour with the London Program students. Our tour guide, Stuart, gave us an excellent overview of not only the main sights of Olympic Park, but the story behind hosting the Olympic Games. Jacob and Allison are helping me to re-create some of the highlights of our tour and things we learned.

· London was chosen for the Olympics by one voteover Paris in 2005. London is the first city to host the Olympic Games three times, having hosted them in 1908 and 1948 previously. The 1908 Olympicswere supposed to be in Rome but were moved to London because of damage causedby the eruptions of Mt. Vesuvius. In1948 games were referred to as the Austerity Games because of the damage to thecity of London lingering from WWII. Hosting the Olympics has changed a great deal since 1948, mostly due to the number of events and the cost of the Games.

Stuart shared many details about the planning process for the London 2012 games that most of us never consider. To begin with, the location chosen to build the many facilities to house the Olympics is one of the poorest not only in London, but in the whole U.K. The hope is that with careful planning for re-purposing of these facilities will bring new life to this area. The United Kingdom is much further invested in "green" living as a whole, so it is not surprising that this Olympics is the greenest of any on record. Great pains have been taken to re-use construction materials (such as the pipe that lines the Olympic Stadium which was gas pipe in abandoned warehouses in the area) and to carefully clean up the soil and water in the area that had years of pollution from the industry that once thrived in the area.

One lesson the London games are attempting to take from previous Olympics is devising a plan for each facility that is needed for the Olympics. Everything from the Olympic Village housing Olympians to the media building have detailed plans for how they will be re-purposed after the Olympics. The dream is that twenty years from now, this area will still be a special area of London with a special mark left from the 2012 Olympic games.

The London games are not without controversy. Issues that may be in the news during the games include the controversy over the London 2012 logo. Some say it looks like the Nazi swastika, some Muslims think it says Zion, which they find racist (Iran has threatened to boycott the games due to the logo, but have since said they will be participating). India has also expressed concern over the Olympic partnership of Dow Chemicals, whom they feel has not made proper restitution for the 1984 chemical spill by Union Carbide. Other concerns include the usual doping and security issues.

Lots of information and learning aside, we saw most of the Olympic facilities in Olympic park from the outside. The whole park is still under construction and there is significant security in place, so our tour was of the outside perimeter of the park. Below are photos highlights of what we saw. Not all fantastic photos, but they will be familliar sights in July.

Stuart showing the Olympic Stadium. Notice the white pipes, which are re-purposed from the gas pipes of the warehouses taken down to build the Olympic facilities. Also note that the upper levels of seating are temporary and will be removed after the Olympics. At that time, the stadium will be rented to a local soccer club as well as hosting other large athletic events.

Matt and the kids posting in front of the metal sculpture/viewing tower that will be opened to view the Olympic area AFTER the Olympics. The walkway to the top is quite narrow and will not accomodate the expected 800,000 people attending the games.

The Velodome (or Pringle as the locals call it as the roof resembles a Pringles chip)where cycling events will be hosted. This building will remain as cycling is a very popular sport. The white fluffy looking building in the background is the basketball arena. This is a temporary facility and may even be re-used in the 2016 games hosted by Rio de Janiero.

The Copper Box which will host handball, fencing and goalball. It will be turned into a community leisure facility (like a YMCA in America) following the Olympics.

The London Program students seemed to really appreciate the tour and the opportunity to learn about the business of hosting an Olympic Games.

TThe Aquatic Centre which will become a community aquatic facility once the "wings" of extra seating are removed. This facility will function both for local residents and elite swimming events.

Jacob would also like everyone to know that there will be two Olympic mascots for the 2012 games and they are really adorable (for a one eyed creature).See for yourself!

Jacob's fourth post

2012-01-22T13:19:00.000-08:00

On our trip to Greenwich, we went to 2 of the Greenwich museums. The 2 museums we went to were the queen’s house (it’s really the queen’s ex-house. It’s currently a museum) and national maritime museum. But those aren’t the real highlights. We went to a wonderful restaurant called green village, but I ordered the wrong thing, so a warning to everyone who is planning to eat at green village, don’t order a sausage. We also got to stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres at the same time and on the eastern hemisphere, we found a playground for Zeke to play in. On the way back we ran into some train trouble. For future reference to everyone who will ever use oyster cards (that’s a card that holds money so you can get on the trains in London) you have to tap in and out every time you leave for a different station. Anyway, yesterday I read the copy of Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets, and I saw J. K. Rowling’s signature on the inner cover. IT WAS AWESOME SEEING THAT SIGNNURATURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A trip to Greenwich, and other tidbits

2012-01-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Trip to Greenwich on Monday

We decided to take a trip to Greenwich. It was recommended as one of the best “day trips from London” in a book we’ve been reading, and sounded interesting. It is only 13 miles from our flat (according to Google Maps), but does take about 50 minutes to get there by the tube (once you account walking to/from tube stops, transfers, etc.).

It was a sunny and cold day, but perfect for walking around.

We wandered through their park area, and went to the National Maritime Museum. This was a wonderful place, and like most London Museums, free to enter. They had all sorts of interesting history about expeditions to North America, the Poles, and about trade with China. They had quite a bit on the monopoly a trading company had that allowed it to control much of India, as well. The kids really enjoyed this as well …

We didn’t stay there too long (you can’t really stay in any museum too long with children) and it was almost lunchtime, so we left to find food. We ended up finding a little store that seemed authentic but served food at reasonable prices. (Dining or drinking out can be very expensive here.) Everybody enjoyed their meal, and I tried a seafood pie (like a pot pie, but with seafood) that was outstanding. When I go to pubs I try to choose items I haven’t had before and seem "British" when possible. So far I haven’t been disappointed. The kids outside the restaurant ...

After lunch, we went to The Queen's House. This was an old house commissioned by Anne of Denmark in the early 1600s. It had several paintings, a nice view of the Thames, and the 'tulip stairs' (the first centrally unsupported spiral stair in Britain). Photo of the kids on the stairs ...

Finally, we went to straddle the Prime Meridian. That’s the 0 degree longitude line that separates the East and West Hemispheres. Some photos …

It was a nice way to spend a morning and early afternoon!

Other notes:

On Friday afternoon the kids and I went to Primrose Hill (again). They had a park there that was open (it’s open until 4:00 daily) where the kids played. We also brought our new Chelsea soccer ball and kicked it around a bit (and played catch with it too). Here are some photos from the top of Primrose Hill and from the Park (Jacob climbed to the top of a climbing structure:

Saturday: I got to meet a friend I knew from my poker days – The Hawk (also known as John). He and I used to talk poker (and other things) a lot in a chat room back in the days when I played online poker. We had a pint at a pub before going to a nice Brazilian Restaurant, which had very tasty food. As with the other ITHers I’ve met over the years– he was a great guy and I had a nice time.

Sunday:

We went to the same church again and had another nice service. The people at this church (St. John's Downshire) are the most welcoming to newcomers any church we've ever attended. The pastor gives thought provoking sermons and they have lots of kids activities. It will be a nice church for us while we're here. We've met some very nice people already through the church, as have the older kids. We feel blessed to have found someplace to be a temporary home so quickly after arriving.

Wednesday:

Another play. This was at the Orange Street Theatre. It's a theatre in the round ... everybody is in a circle around the stage. Well, technically it's a theatre in the square, but that doesn't sound as catchy.

The play was good with outstanding acting. Like last week, we were just a couple rows away. (They only had 3 rows in this theatre.)

All for now ...