Living the Life

So, usually our life here in London is pretty 'normal'. For reals. Yes, its London, but our average week looks a lot like it did when we lived in middle Indiana. We clean, cook, go grocery shopping, have church friends over, get Chinese take-away and a film for a special date night-- yep, we're pretty crazy people.

Then there are those seasons when life is anything but 'normal', and I almost have to slap myself silly! The last two months have been one of those seasons. Its no indication of any great achievement on our part, nor is it full of the things really most important in life, but the last 6-8 weeks have brought a whirlwind of 'slap me silly' events.

1. I was able to go with two girlfriends for a 'day out' in Paris. A one night stay in an Airbnb flat, amazing French cuisine, pastries and tarts at Angeline, window shopping through Le Marais ... it was such a fun frivolous adventure- and I loved it! I only came back with a vintage 'granny' sweater, and some sweets for the hubs, but it was still just incredible!

2. Aaron and I were given tickets to see Ian McDianmid play Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. I really only knew him as the emperor (Senator Palpatine) in Star Wars, and am ashamed to admit in a handful of lines, that's all I saw, and expected him to finish his lines with "my young apprentice." But it was really amazing to be able to see it at The Almeida Theatre.

3. Stellen Skarsgard (Avengers, Mama Mia, Pirates of the Caribbean, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) filmed for several days just outside of our flat. Apparently (according to the notice we were given, explaining the hubbub and traffic disruptions), he'll play a conflicted detective in (yet another) crime drama miniseries called River. *Note: this is just the facts, not a public endorsement of any said dramas.*  (By the way, did you know that famous actors get their own 'coat valet', who stand just off camera with a parka in January, to cover him up in between takes?)

Like I said- nothing earth shaking, or of eternal consequence, but fun to think about in that silly, trivial sense. I look at where we are and think, "Really? That's happening, to me, right here?" It's so fun!

And then, to top it off, my hubby took me for a quick getaway/birthday gift/babymoon to Portugal! A friend's parents live in Cascais, about 40 min outside Lisbon, and were such amazing gracious hosts! A lovely couple who have lived in half a dozen countries over several decades, they were full of amazing stories and tales as they drove us around the countryside, sharing with us a peek of their life. It was amazing!

On the flight there, we flew over some amazing mountains! (Iberian, Pyrenees?)

Arriving in Lisbon, we landed in rain, but the clouds parted just in time for sunset! And we were able to spend another day just walking around, seeing a bit of the city. Lisbon is gorgeous-- reminding me so much of San Francisco. From it's bridge (looking just like the Golden Gate) to it's hilly streets lined with colourful homes... it was so charming and so fun to share with the hubs, who's never been to California!

We stopped in at the Livraria Bertrand.... arguably the oldest bookstore in the world!

We drove out to Cabo da Roca, the most western point in Continental Europe, which was really fun for the hubby, as he's been to the eastern edge of the continent in Romania and Moldova.

We saw the Boca da Inferno....

And we spent quite a bit of time just wandering the beaches and streets of Cascais. It's a tiny little town relying heavily on tourism, but it was just lovely and we enjoyed all of the time we could get there!

Friends recommended the Jeronimos Monastery... built right around 1500 AD. It was a lovely exhibit of Portuguese architecture.

We loved our time in Portugal, and hope we can return again someday. The people were charming, our hosts were wonderful, and we are longing for those sandy beaches already!

So I look at what 2015 has already held... art, theatre, culture, frivolity.... it's been an amazing couple months already. Maybe it's been especially fun as everyone keeps telling us "Enjoy it now, because once the baby comes, life will never be the same." And I think I get that. We are so blessed to be enjoying this phase of life, with its dull normal weeks, and it's weeks of crazy romantic travels and celebrity sightings. We are so blessed to be where we are today, and I don't want to miss a moment. 

But I am so looking forward to this summer, when we get to meet our little girl, to having family visit, and watching our parents turn into grandparents, to establishing new routines as a family, to growing with my husband as parents. Life's seasons are ever changing, and I'm loving the one we are in now, and excited about the next!

Thanks for joining us on our journey. I hope you're enjoying it as much as we are!

Summer Travels -- *and a English grammar lesson*

Well, I've been gone a while, at least from writing. This summer opened with an amazing visit from my mother-and-sister in law. We had so much fun through the whirlwind two weeks! After that, I took a week of rest before falling ill* with tonsillitis. Then being the kind soul that I am, I shared my tonsillitis with my husband right before he started his summer module. Some recovery, changes in schedules, a week cooking at a Christian camp in Northhampton, and suddenly, the summer is flying by.
*Note: In England, normal colds, flus, etc. are referred to as being ill or unwell. Being sick involves vomit. Its actually a fairly handy distinction. However, sick can also be used to describe vomit itself. Correct usages would include "I was sick three times last night." or "There was a pile of sick on the sidewalk." Typical conversation would be as follows:
"I fell ill (yes fell replaces the American got, also used in context of falling pregnant) last week."
"Oh no! With what?"
"Oh, I was proper sick all Friday."
"I'm so sorry!"

But I digress.

Summer is actually just starting here in London. The schools in England are all on trimesters. Autumn term is Sept-Dec, spring term is Jan- March, and summer term is April-July, then August is summer holiday. Students get two weeks between terms, and a one week half-term break in the middle of each term. It's different to get used to, but not bad. However, it does mean that traveling Europe in August gets crazy, as EVERYONE is on holiday at the same time! But for me, it still feels like summer is coming to a close. So, before it gets too late, I realised I need to post my photos! Here are some pics from our travels outside London.

We took a day trip to see the White Cliffs of Dover, which were just lovely. The weather was still cool, but the sun was shining, the English channel bright, and the clouds lifted enough for us to see France in the distance. Loved it! (For adventurous videos, check out my previous post for Emily's hubby!)

I love this guy!!!

Then I snuck the girls over for 26 hours in Paris. We walked all over, and sped through the highlights, but this time, made it in a couple of the churches the hubs and I didn't brave queues to see! SO glad we did this time!

Notre Dame..... if you get the chance to go- check out the carvings around the building. Each statue is different, each face unique, everything telling a story. It's just brilliant!

We wandered some Paris streets again.... and again, it charmed my heart!

If you came via my Facebook page, you've already seen us girls on the Pont des Arts--- did I ever post the video we took? I'll have to check!

A Visit from Flat Stanley

Dear Andrew and the rest of the Class at Dickenson Elementary,

Thanks so much for letting Flat Stanley come and stay with me in London. As you can tell, we had such a fun time that I had trouble convincing him to go back home to America! He is on his way back, and should arrive sometime next week along with the information sheet. But I thought I'd share some of the pictures he took here on my website while he's on his way!

Flat Stanley showed up and immediately needed to go shopping for some warm winter clothes. Our winter is probably a little colder than yours in Florida-- not as bad as winter up north in Wisconsin or Minnesota, but still cold with lots of wind and rain. We wear wooly jumpers (thick sweaters), and lots of coats and scarves here. But the last few weeks have been warmer, so he's been able to take off some of those layers.

These are some of the first pictures we took when he arrived. One of my favourite things about living in London is that I get to meet so many people from all over the world. These are some of my friends- one is from England, the other from Germany (and one of the children's Dad's is from Scotland).

These friends are from Mongolia....

... and Isabela is from Brazil!

       

Then I took Flat Stanley out with me. We went to Trafalgar Square, where you can see Nelsons Column, and, way in the background, Big Ben. Its also the home of the National Portrait Gallery, where you can see lots of famous paintings by people like Vincent Van Gogh, and Edgar Degas.

 

For some reason, there's also a very large blue chicken at Trafalgar Square. Its some kind of art that I think is rather silly, but Flat Stanley insisted on getting a picture with it!

Then I took Flat Stanley to church with me. He tried to get up and preach, but I told him that is my pastor's job!

I took Flat Stanley to Covent Garden.... it used to be an old market, famous for its shops and some of the street performers (See if Ms Duncan knows about Punch & Judy- some old fashioned puppets that came from Covent Garden)!

This is Westminster Abbey- one of the most famous churches in the world! Do you know Prince William and Princess Kate (Middleton)? Their wedding was in this church! Its SOOOO big and beautiful!

And of course, Stanley wanted to get a picture with one of London's double decker busses. We rode these lots while he was here! My favourite way to get around London is to get in the front seat of one of these! You see above the cars, look down at the people on the sidewalk, and get to watch everything go by as you bus past London's busy streets! There's always SO much going on in London, sometimes its just nice to sit back and watch. Do you know the phrase "people-watching"? It's really fun! I told Flat Stanley about a game I play, where I see someone, and I make up a story about them... guessing where they come from, where they are going, why they are in London, and trying to figure out as much as I can about them just by looking! Its a fun game (though people are always full of surprises!) You should try it sometime- even just the next time you're at the mall!

Then, since my family was visiting, Flat Stanley came with us on a quick trip to Paris! We can take the train (the Eurostar) through England, through the English Channel- in something called the Chunnel (the Channel Tunnel), and through France to Paris. The trip only takes about 2 hours! That's quicker than you could drive to Miami! Can you believe it?! Flat Stanley loved Paris- though there are always LOTS of tourists!

This is the Notre Dame- a famous Catholic Cathedral. There's a Disney movie called The Hunchback of Notre Dame that is set here. I don't think its a true story- but it's cool to think about the people who have lived near this church for such a long time!

And this is the Louvre Museum. Do you know the painting called Mona Lisa (its the lady with black hair and a funny smile)? That painting lives in this museum! We didn't go in, as its quite expensive and very crowded, but we can say we saw it! (Flat Stanley is in the picture with my sister-in-law, Emily, who came to visit recently!)

And of course, we had to see the Eiffel Tower while we were in Paris! Its SO pretty when they light it up at night. In an earlier blog post, I took a video of it sparkling at night, but we couldn't take a night picture or else you wouldn't see Flat Stanley! But it was so fun to walk around and look up at it. The Eiffel Tower was originally built for the World Fair in 1889 (over 100 years ago). It was only supposed to be up for the fair and then taken down, but they realised it would help with radio signal- which had just been invented, so they left it up! (Remember, back then, electricity and telephones were still new, there was no television, and definitely no computers or internet!)

Of course, then we had to take one more picture back in London- with the famous Big Ben! Its kind of far away, making Flat Stanley look like a giant, but you can look through some of my older pictures to see more of London!

Stanley had so much fun looking around, he forgot to take pictures everywhere we went! But he travelled a ton, and said he'd love to come back to visit! Maybe some of you can come visit me someday too- I'd love that!

Well, I hope you have a great rest of the year at school- you're almost done, aren't you?! Kids here in England have longer Christmas and Spring Breaks, but they have school all the way through July and only get August off for summer break. Crazy, right?! But you get done in just a couple weeks, so Flat Stanley knew he had to get back. Thanks for letting him come visit me! We had a great time!

Bye!
Kate