Day 72 – Back to the USA

We woke early, finished packing the things we still needed in the morning and headed to the airport. It would not be a last day without drama however. I almost didn’t make it back. Our taxi driver was a little late and so when we drove to the airport, we lost Scott. When we got there, I realized that Scott had the money. So as I was sitting in the front seat, I started going through my purse to see if I had any other bills other than those in my wallet. When we arrived at the airport, we luckily saw Scott so he gave the money to the driver and Ainsley and I took all of the bags while Emily and Scott returned the car. Since we had actually made up the time with the taxi driver, we still were doing well. When Scott & Emily met up with us, we checked our bags and Ainsley & I went to customs to get our VAT tax refunded. Then we headed through security. (You don’t have to take your shoes off to go through security at Heathrow). Scott & the girls went to a restaurant for some breakfast when I went to stand in line to get the actual VAT refunded. I only got stamped at the first place.

While standing in line, Emily comes running over with Scotts cell phone saying that we had left a bag in the car. I was confused and thought that the only bag that could have possibly been left just contained shortbread, so I sent her back to Scott and continued to wait. Just as I got to the front of the line and looked in my purse and didn’t see my wallet, Scott comes over saying the taxi driver has my wallet and is driving around the airport so I could go get it. So I grabbed my passport & boarding pass and tried to get out to meet the taxi driver. One BIG issue, I have to go back through Customs. Luckily, very luckily, I got to go to the front of the line (we are talking saving an HOUR at least.) The conversation went something like this:

Customs officer: What brings you to the UK?

Me – My wallet, I left it in my cab

Customs officer – How long will you be in the UK?

Me- 5 minutes if I can find my taxi driver easily. My plane boards in 45 minutes for the US.

Customs officer – Ok, you can go.

It wasn’t that simple, I did a lot of hand waiving and quick explaining but I think she felt bad for me and let me go pretty quickly. I guess I don’t look like a terrorist – that’s a good thing. So I sprinted to departures, found the taxi driver, gave him a HUGE tip for bringing back my wallet, sprinted back through security and then ran all the way to our plane with 25 minutes until take off. If you remember my first entry about how far it is to the gate when we arrived, you will understand why I was dripping in sweat. At least I got a workout for the day. Shockingly, the girls and Scott had not yet boarded. Nothing like a little last minute drama. The summer wouldn’t be complete without it.

The flight back was pretty uneventful. It was not the “new” entertainment system which meant that they had 9 movies that looped 3-4 times during the flight. Luckily 2 of the movies were kid friendly. When the captain said we’d be landing in 5 minutes, the girls let out a little cheer and the British gentleman sitting next to me looked up. I explained that we had lived in Richmond for the summer and that we were all excited to be going home. He said he lived in Reading, near the Costco. I find out that there was a Costco 5 minutes before we land. Figures!

Hope everyone has enjoyed reading about our crazy summer. It is nice to be back.

Day 71 – Packing and Cleaning

So pretty much all day, we packed. Last night, I made cookies. As a break from the packing, we delivered the cookies to two of our neighbors (along with the 2 plates I had bought so I could use the microwave). We also gave one neighbor the extension cord that we bought since we had to borrow theirs before we bought our own. Then we headed down to Malcolm and Julia’s house to give Malcolm the remaining ½ of the Pimms that we bought on our first grocery store trip. When we showed it to Malcolm’s wife, she said it would not go to waste. She was actually surprised that we still had ½ left after 10 weeks. She was baking at the time, so I ran home and grabbed the baking supplies that we had purchased and would not be taking with us. The girls went out to Malcolm’s back yard and saw all of the fruit trees in his garden. He also keeps bees and canary’s. It was a wonderful garden. Scott came home around 5 to help pack as well. Then we went to the New Inn for our last pub dinner. I had to make a quick run to the library since as a part of my cleaning, I discovered 1 more book that should be returned. When we arrived home, Laura had gotten home from work. So we brought her some cookies and more stuff that we would not be taking with us. The girls said goodbye to Archie. It was a sad parting. Then we headed back to the house to go to bed.

Day 70 – A visit with Aunt Mary’s Brother, Madame Tousseauds and Lion King

So today, we made our last trek into the city. First stop on the agenda: visit with Michael. Michael is my Aunt Mary’s brother. He lives in London, in Earls Court – a station we were very familiar with. The last time I saw Michael was 25 years ago. He remembered me as a kid. We texted him right before we pulled into the station so we knew where to look for him. He was standing right on the other side of the turnstile. He looked pretty much as I remembered, a little less hair. He kept motioning to me and pointing to the girls to say that he remembered me looking like them. He couldn’t believe I have two daughters about the same age as Denise & I were when we first met him when he lived with my aunt & uncle so many years ago. We walked over to the Costa for some tea and muffins. (the same Costa I met the guy I work with a few weeks ago).

The girls brought some paper to write on which worked out very well as we wrote notes back and forth to each other. My sign language is pretty much where I left off when Michael taught me 25 years ago so writing was WAY faster. I was just amazed at how hard it must be to be deaf on your own in the city. Michael insisted on paying but when they said the tea was ready, Michael couldn’t hear them say it. I guess the Costa employee missed my pathetic attempt of sign language when we were deciding what to order. It was a very nice visit. It was Michael’s last day at his work – he was switching locations and some of his coworkers were throwing him a little goodbye party so he had to go. It was so nice that we got to see each other.

After that, we headed to Madame Tousseauds Wax museum. Since it was now September, we were able to use our Merlin Passes again. Madame Tousseads was pretty packed but because we had our trusty Merlin Passes, we got right in. The museum has 5 floors. You take an elevator to the top floor and then make your way down. When we got off of the elevator, we stepped into the “Hollywood” floor. We got pictures with Harry Potter, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga and a few others. The next floor was the sports floor. Not as exciting for any of us so we did not get any pictures. But we did see a bunch of people we (mostly me) recognized – Tiger, Beckham, Ali.

The third floor was all political/historical figures. There we recognized A LOT of people. The girls hung out with Martin Luther King and Obama. They posed with Lady Di, Prince William, and Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. You have to do a double take when you see the picture, the wax figures look so real. The next floor was a scary floor that they were too young to get into. Then at the bottom, we went to see a 4-D Marvel Comics movie. The girls loved it. Our seats shook when the Hulk walked in the movie. And Spiderman looked like he was swinging right into us. It was a fun museum, so glad we ended up making it to visit. After that, we headed back to Richmond to meet Scott at the house.

Scott took the girls back to the city after a quick dinner to see the Lion King. I opted to stay back at the house to do some work and start packing/cleaning. Scott actually took the bus and the tube into the city – I think a first on his own for the whole summer. When they got to the stop for the Richmond Train station, the girls pressed the button to tell the bus to stop – Scott didn’t even realize it was the correct stop. The girls got off the bus, turned right to go to the tube. Then they automatically knew which gate to go through as well as what track to go to. Scott said it was pretty funny – they knew EXACTLY what to do since we had done it so often throughout the summer. They liked Lion King, although they weren’t as into the music like Wicked or Phantom. Then they all rode the tube back out, decided that the wait for the bus would be too long and took a taxi back to the house.

A great way to end the summer of non-stop activity.

Day 69 – Changing of the guard, Buckingham Mews

So, we finally made it to see (sort of) the changing of the guard at Buckingham. We arrived exactly on time which was late because the crowds were so big that we could not see much. The process takes 30 minutes and we lasted about 15 before we decided to head to see the Mews. As we were walking, I thought I recognized a song that the band (they had a band playing almost the whole time during the ceremony). I could have sworn it was the theme song from Hawaii 5-O. But that seemed wrong, so I chalked it up to bad memory. Then as we kept walking, the band began to play Thriller. Now there was no mistaking that. I actually saw one of the tourists doing the “claw” move in the dance. That seemed so odd to me to be playing Thriller at the changing of the guard.

Since we had all of our tickets stamped when we came to Buckingham a few weekends ago, we could get into the palace, gallery & Mews for a year. Since we had not seen the Mews, we decided to go check it out. The Mews is where the Royal carriages & horses are kept. We got our recorders and got to see and learn about the various carriages used by the royals over the years. We saw the carriage Lady Di & Prince Charles used as well as the one that Kate Middleton & Prince William used last April. We also got to draw our own carriages and decorate them in the kids room. And we even got to see some horses which of course both girls loved.

Then since we were in the city, we made a visit to the TFL lost and found to see if anyone had turned Emily’s coat in (she had left her fleece on the train one of the times we went to the city). Unfortunately, it was not turned in so. Then we headed to the tube station to return one of our Oyster cards (I kept one just in case Scott ever needs it when he goes to London for meetings). Then we returned home.

Day 68 - Errands, errands, errands

Today was a day of errands. First on our to-do list was to visit the library to return the books we had taken out. We had already returned everything to the Ham library so all we had to do was return to the Tudor Drive Library. After the Library, we took the bus into Kingston.

So after living here for almost 9 weeks, we came to the conclusion that we would need to purchase another luggage bag to bring the new stuff back. So today, we went to pick up our new (inexpensive) luggage bag at Argos. We probably walked past this store at least 10 times this summer and never went in. That was a bummer to discover it in the last week. Argos is mainly a catalog/internet based Amazon.com (which they have here as well). But what is unique to Argos, is that they actually have retail space as well. Their stores are for the most part empty of product on the floor. But they have rows of catalogs. When you find the item you want (or online as I did), you go to the cash register to pay. They issue you a number and you get in line while another employee (actually a few) go in the back to fetch the item. It was so easy. And a lot of their items are not too expensive. (They differ from Amazon which carries all sorts of brands.)

Then we headed back on the bus to Ham to the dry cleaners. I had to pick up Scott’s coat that he bought in Scotland. Over the summer, the dry cleaner owner and I gotten to know each other so we said our goodbyes. He is really nice, we had some really nice chats over the summer – he even gave me a break on the cost of the coat hem as a farewell present. Then we headed to the Sandy Lane playground for our last time. We stayed there for awhile. The girls started playing with 2 girls around their age who were visiting their grandparents. All of the girls had a good time. Figures Emily & Ainsley find playmates the week we are leaving.

Then we headed home for dinner and bed.

Day 67 - What we will miss about the UK (and what we won't miss)

Our last Monday in London was pretty uneventful. Most of the day was spent doing laundry and catching up from being on vacation. The girls watched some movies online. A few weeks ago, Scot downloaded a program that allowed the girls to watch movies in the UK online – something that is hard to do because of copyrights in the UK. We ran into it a lot. When I tried to order something from Amazon.com, it wanted to charge me international shipping because it could tell I was logging in from the UK. Crazy how “smart” the computer can be. It was also a day for trying to use stuff up. Our lunch and dinner comprised of some very off combinations:-).

We did make a list of the things that we really will miss in the UK and what we were really not going to miss. What we were going to miss was the following:

#1 – Public Transportation. We loved (especially me) taking the bus, the tube or just walking to where we needed to go. I know that as soon as we are back, it will be the car for everything – even if I want to take a bus, I still have to drive to get there.

#2 – Crosswalks. There is a special name for the crosswalk that I don’t remember but, how nice that cars stop when you step into one. Actually they stop if you look like you are going to step into one. We always looked to make sure the cars would stop (you never know – an American could be driving) but once we were in there, I didn’t have to hold the girls hands because I knew the cars were stopped. That does not really happen back home.

#3 – No-idling car. Our first rental car had a feature that turned the engine off when we waited at a red light. How cool is that! I think some cars – hybrids do that back home as well. But that car was a diesel and it did it. Just think of all of the gas and emissions could be saved in the Kiss and Ride line at school.

#4 – Yellow lights. In the UK ( and elsewhere in Europe), the stoplight turns yellow both ways. It signifies when a green light is going to turn red AND when a red light is going to turn green. Very cool to know.

#5 – My new dryer. Ok I actually will miss the dryer here – not the washing machine, just the dryer. The dryer has a resevoir to collect the water from the clothes since there is no dryer vent. So after every load of laundry, I had to clean the lint screen and dump the water. But I thought it was pretty cool feature. One time, I even watered the plants with the water from the dryer. I wouldn’t drink it but it was a different feature.

#6 – Relatively no bugs. Spring is always a fun time at home. At the bus stop, swarms of gnats buzz all around. But not here. We hardly saw any gnats, flys or mosquitoes (save Austria & Hungary). It was so nice to go play in a field and not be swatting away the bugs.

Now we also listed out what we would not miss.

#1 – Lack of customer service. In many of our dealings this summer, we noticed a general attitude that the customer was last, or at least definitely not first. It is probably a better attitude for life in general, but I am used to the way it is back home. There is definitely a concern for the employee rather than for making an extra pound. I told my boss that when I come home, I am going to go to the Giant at 11:55pm on a Sunday just because I can.

#2 – The old washer/dryer combo and new washing machine. I told a friend back home that when I got home, I would kiss my washer & dryer. She thought that was a funny thing to say but laundry in the 1^st few weeks of our time here was pretty horrible. Now that was before I got the new dryer which I ended up liking. But I still miss my washing machine. I can’t wait to do a load of laundry as 1 load back home is the same as doing 3 loads here (and they take longer – even the eco cycle on the new machine takes longer than a normal load back home). I like the fact that at least there is an eco-cycle on the new one. The old one was so old, the manufacturer didn’t even have the instruction manual.

#3 – Our house. It has been many years since I rented. And when we did rent, it was either in school or a rental community so the lessors really did a good job of maintaining the space. But renting from a private person who has never rented before definitely proved to be a somewhat downer to the trip. I miss our house where things are maintained. Sure, it isn’t perfect but if it is broken, we can fix it. Not have to go through a rental agency who then takes a week to get back to us because she has to clear it with the landlord who is on holiday and unreachable. I can’t wait to sleep in our bed with proper covers.

#4 – Air conditioning and/or screens. For the most part, it has been a heavenly summer for weather. I really don’t remember rain slowing us down too much. And given the heat wave back home, I felt bad to say it was 25C/72F and sunny. But on the few days where it pushed into the 30’s (Celsius), it got “hot” on the 2^nd & 3^rd floors. We opened the windows and discovered that there were no screens the first week. And definitely no AC. And usually, it really was not needed. Now I understand that the house is very old so the windows are probably not cookie cutter where you could install screens easily. But this was everywhere.

#5 – My car. I know that my #1 Pro-UK was the public transportation and I really did love being able to get around so easily. But sometimes, a car would be nice. I did get to drive last week in Austria so that was good – at least I don’t forget how to do it. But sometimes taking the bus with 3 bags of groceries during rush hour was hard and a car that I could just put my bags in was dreamed of. Pretty soon, that is all I’ll be able to do which is a little sad too.

Day 66 – Hungary and London Sunday Roast

We said our goodbyes to everyone early this am – except Lolo who was still sleeping. Norbert drove us to the airport for our flight back to London. The flight was uneventful. How nice that it is only 2 hours to another country (while flying over 3 others first). We arrived in London early so when we got back to the house, we quickly called the New Inn to see if they were still serving Sunday Roast and they were. So we quickly ran up there and had Sunday Roast. We had Sunday Roast the first Sunday at the Dysart and the last Sunday and the New Inn which was very nice – although truth be told, I liked it better at the first place.

Then we headed back to the house to unpack, do some laundry and head to bed. A very low key last Sunday in London.

Day 65 – Science museum & Citadella

Today we went to a science museum for the kids. We took two cars. Scott & Norbert drove the Ferrari. Norbert has quite a car collection. When Norbert & Scott got onto the highway, we didn’t see them until we arrived at the museum. It was located in what looked to be an old warehouse. It was so neat. There were 2 floors of activities for the kids to do. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot for Lolo to do so she went outside to a playground with Timchi while we explored the museum. The 3 girls did a lot together for almost 2 hours. But then we decided to leave.

When we had arrived, there were some people outside the museum dressed up. When we came out, there were even more. Norbert found out that next to the museum, the conference hall was hosting a “Goth Anime” convention. Think Star Trek convention, but STRANGER. A LOT stranger! We had a snack but didn’t stay too long because of all of the odd people – I think I would have preferred a Klingon!

Next we went to the Citadel to check out the views. (Now I guess we should see the one in the US). As we parked, a lot of people stared at the car. Scott was a bit worried but Norbert seemed unfazed. After we checked out the views of the city, we stopped to hear a concert. Then the three older girls (although Lolo wanted to also) started dancing to the songs. It was very cute. Then we headed to Timchi’s moms apartment to grab some dinner that she made for us – Chicken Paprikash – delicious. Then Norbert agreed to let the “girls” take the Ferrari back to the house. So Timchi and I got to drive in the Ferrari and the guys got the Volvo. But Timchi couldn’t figure out how to start the car. So she yelled back to Norbert. Three Hungarian guys were walking by, admiring the car and started laughing when she asked in Hungarian how to start the car. It was fun driving in the Ferrari. Unlike the guys, we obeyed the speed limit on our way home. After arriving home, Timchi decided that maybe she should drive the Ferrari more often :-).

Then we had the wonderful meal that Timchi’s mom made. The girls all had some of the homemade chicken soup while we had the Paprikash. Then we all headed to bed. The temperature had finally broke so it was quite a nice night for sleeping.

Day 64 – The Budapest Baths

Today, we went to the famous Budapest Baths. There are quite a few bath houses in Budapest. Norbert chose this one because his mother-in-law recommended it. We went out to grab some lunch before heading into the bath and the girls got to play in the playground. We had a Hungarian dish, with potato & cheese. But Scott & I both didn’t taste any potato. It tasted more like a funnel cake with cheese on top instead of powdered sugar. I was not looking forward to putting a bathing suit on after that. We were trying to kill time hoping that Timchi would meet us. However, Timchi was stuck at home. Today was orientation for Greta’s new school and she was up early. Greta had fallen asleep in the car and was not waking up easily from the nap.

So it was just Norbert, Scott, the girls and I who went to the Széchényi Spa. The bath house was quite large and very old. There were 3 outside pools that were all about 30-32C. They were very nice. We were limited from one pool because we did not have swimming caps on. The outside pool we hung out in had a mini lazy river that really was a whirlwind as it went so fast. The baths were quite crowded as it was the hottest day out in Budapest. There was a large building that had about 11 “baths” at all temperatures. The girls and I tried out about 4 of them while Scott & Norbert pretty much hung out in the one that was 36C.

After we were thoroughly soaked, we left the baths and headed out to meet Timchi, Greta & Lolo. But just as we were leaving, I noticed some people coming to the baths – the same people that were at the concert in Vienna. I recognized the guy that had lost his ticket. I think he recognized us too, but we were off. Small world! We went out to dinner on a lake (large pond) near the baths. It was a lovely dinner. The restaurant gave us bread to feed the ducks. The girls loved that. So the waiter brought another basket. Let’s just say there are some fatter ducks in Budapest now. Everyone but Scott had a delicious Cantaloupe soup with some vanilla ice cream – recommended by Greta. I will have to try this at home – it was very yummy.

We were at dinner for almost 3 hours. I don’t think the restaurants have the same attitude of trying to get the party with the kids out the door – that probably has something to do with the tipping. There was a large party for someone turning 18. Greta went over and wished the girl a happy birthday and said it was her birthday the following week. Next thing we knew, the waiter was bringing over some pieces of the 18 year old’s cake for Greta and the girls. Too funny!

Finally it was time to go back. Once again, the house was pretty hot. Emily & Ainsley had a harder time tonight falling asleep. Emily slept initially on the tiled floor because it was cool. I ended up sleeping in their room because I woke up with swollen lips as I had been bitten by mosquitoes. Scott didn’t seem to be bothered by them so I went in with the girls because they had the portable A/C unit. Eventually everyone got to sleep.

Day 63 – Hydrofoil/ Budapest

We were up a lot earlier today as we had to be at the docks at 8am for our 9am Hydrofoil trip to Budapest. We quickly ate breakfast – the staff I think just thought – “more Americans in a rush.” We took a cab to the dock and then finally found it. Of course, we were on the wrong side of the check in so we had to take all of the bags to the front of the building. A guy with a cart for the luggage was thankfully downstairs so we checked the luggage with him. But after check-in we got nervous that maybe he didn’t work for the company so Scott checked on the bags, thankfully they were still there.

Upon a suggestion from our friend in Hungary, we took the Hydrofoil (a large boat) down the Danube. We boarded the hydrofoil with a tour group who pretty much took up all of the spaces so we had to split up. It was air-conditioned but because we sat so close to the door, it did not feel very cool. The trip lasted 6 hours. It was very neat. We went through two locks. The first lowered us 6-8 meters. The second lowered us 18 meters. My ears actually popped on the second lock. We had some lunch on board. Luckily the tour group got off at the stop before Budapest and we were able to stretch out (and feel the A/C). Scott got some pictures of the towns we were passing. It was very pretty.

Finally at 3:30 (although it said 2:30 on the website), we arrived in Budapest. We were met by our friend, Norbert. He took us to the Buda castle (#19) where we got some pictures high above the city. We ended up going to a Sorfest (Beer festival) in the back of the castle. While we waited for Timchi (Norbert’s wife and also an old friend) and their 2 kids to arrive, Scott & Norbert had some beer and we had some lemonade and pretzels. Then Timchi arrived with Greta (6 YO in a week) and Lolo (2.5 YO). Both kids were adorable in matching dresses. We quickly thought that Lolo was loco. She was all over the place and so cute. Greta was practicing her English (most learned from kids videos or Barney). She would ask her parents in Hungarian how to say something in English and then ask Emily & Ainsley. We were very fortunate to arrive in Budapest on the second hottest day. The hottest day would be tomorrow. We hung out and visited a few more sights before heading back to their house. Timchi had prepared a dinner for us. We ate and didn’t get to bed until almost midnight. Since there is an one hour time difference, our girls didn’t seem as tired.

But it was a rough night. Their house does not have any A/C although Norbert gave the girls the portable A/C machine to cool their room. Norbert & Timchi are building a new house and that will have A/C but for the amount of days in the year they need it, it never made sense to get it in their current home. Thankfully, since both girls were tired, they fell asleep quickly even if they were hot.

Day 62 – Schonbrunn Palace – Maria Theresa, Magic Tree house

We awoke late and headed down for some breakfast at the hotel. It was a buffet, similar to how I remember it from HS but not as nice as Pension Herbert. After breakfast, we headed to Schonbrunn Palace, #18 in the castles & palaces. Since we missed our return time for the car, we decided to drive it since we were going to get charged anyway.

We took a guided tour of the palace. We got to see 40 of the palace rooms. What I did not realize (or remember) is that Maria Theresa, who built the palace, was the mother of Marie Antoinette. Instead of fighting wars, the Austrians found that marrying into the families who had a lot of power was a better way to stay on a countries good side. Maria Theresa had 16 kids, and all of the daughters were married to key people in other countries except the favorite daughter who was allowed to marry for love. As we were touring around, I was reminded of a book that the girls and I read about Mozart. It is one of the books in the Magic Tree House series. I was able to point out that the similarities of the book, which we will have to read again when we get back.

After the palace, we went to a children’s museum, attached to the palace. In the courtyard of the museum, there were costumes similar to what the kids would have worn. The girls tried on some costumes. I even dressed up. We got quite a few pictures in there before we headed into the museum. We were doing dress up for about 30 minutes, and the museum for about 20. We learned about the last empress to live at the Palace and what her kids did during the day.

Next, we visited the maze. There were 3 on the grounds. We went through the big one and then the girls went to the playground. We decided to leave at 3:30 so we could get the car returned to Hertz. We passed the Hertz but the gas station that the Hertz representative said was nearby, we did not find. So we drove and drove and finally found one. However, at that point, we were lost. So we asked at the gas station. I brought the map in while Scott filled up the car. When Scott came into pay, there were 5 guys and me going through the map. The employees spoke German but grabbed another customer who spoke English. Scott said it was a sight.

The directions were quite simple (I don’t know how since there were lots of words being spoken in German). But we missed the turn so we were lost again. Luckily, we were close to another Hertz location and I found a street on the map and we made it to the Hertz before we were charged another day. We navigated the rail cars and subway back to the hotel, and quickly took showers.

At the museum, we bought tickets to a music show in the Orangerie at Schonbrunn. It was where Mozart would perform for the empress. There were about 25-30 musicians. Also, there were dancers and opera singers. The girls liked it, especially the dancers. The music was all pieces by Mozart or Strauss. We sat behind a bunch of Americans, and two reminded me of people from home. And although they were too young to be the actual people, I noticed them. One guy lost his ticket and I told him where to find it – one of his friends had picked it up and was going to make him sweat it out but I spoke up and ruined the fun.

The concert ended at 10pm and we were back on the subway and in the hotel by 10:30. It was so nice to be back in A/C since the Orangerie, although we had been led to think otherwise, was not cool. One of the guest musicians (an oboeist) made two mistakes we think because her hands were just too sweaty and her fingers slipped a note.

We had another enjoyable night in A/C.

Day 61 – So Long, Farewell Salzburg, Hallstatt Salt Mines and drive to Vienna

Today, we said goodbye to Herbert & Rikki and Alexander. They made us eggs for our farewell breakfast. Alexander did not want to say goodbye as he was too sad. He did bring the girls some juice for the road. We drove out about an hour south of Salzburg to Hallett, to tour a salt mine (Salzwelten) recommended by someone at our bank who grew up in Austria. I have a hunch that “welten” means “cave” in German – yeah a new word in German. The drive was lovely – through small towns, past Austrian homes with steeply slanted roofs and window boxes full of flowers. Then we arrived at the salt mine. I HIGHLY recommend this place. It was so much fun. Since I am scared of heights, I was at first pretty apprehensive going up another mountain. But unlike the ice caves, there were no cliffs beside us, so I was able to enjoy the scenery instead. For the tour, we all needed to put on protective miner gear – no hard hat though. We walked into the mine through one of the shafts they had used to take the salt out. After a long walk, we ended up at a shoot. We had to slide down the shoot to the next level. We heard a story about the body some miners found in the early 1900s. What the miners who discovered the body did not know was that the body they found was over 3000 years old! We then took another shoot (Ainsley and I clocked at 25.4 km/hour.) We saw a laser show reflected off the salt lake. It was such a fabulous tour. Both girls said hands down a 10.

After we descended down to the base of the mountain, we began our 3 hour tour, I mean drive to Vienna where we would stay for the next 2 nights. For the first hour, we drove on scenic local routes through little and bigger towns. It was quite picturesque! We passed a lake with many people sunbathing. The last 2 hours were on the autobahn, not as scenic but we did see some parachuters and a large chair – I mean really large red chair – very odd. I will have to look up what it is.

We arrived in Vienna and got lost a little before we found the hotel. Many of the streets were one way and with construction projects, we got turned around. But we finally found it. We were a little nervous as some of the areas we were driving through were not too great. But the hotel seemed to be on the outskirts of these areas, closer to the museum. And the hotel, K&K Maria Theresa, was very nice. And even better, it had A/C. After checking in, we went to a restaurant 2 blocks away recommended by the front desk. It was very good but all outside and still very hot. Scott & Emily left Ainsley and I to get the bill because it was just too hot. Since they left us, I thought it only fair that we got to indulge in some warm apple strudel with ice cream. It was supposed to be our little secret but Ainsley spilled the beans when we got back.

We had a very enjoyable night in the air-conditioned room.

Day 60 - Salzburg – Part 3: the Ice Caves

Today is Monday, and the stores were all open. We had another traditional, delicious Austrian breakfast – complete with ham & cheese that they slice so thin in their kitchen. We battled the wasps again but it was so nice outside to not sit on the patio. The girls finished up breakfast and played with Alexander while we got some suggestions from Herbert about where we should go. The original plan had been to drive into Germany to visit Prien, another HS & honeymoon trip destination. Instead, we decided to go to Eiswelten – the ice caves as something new. But first, a stop to Media Markt (that is not a misspelling), to buy yet another adaptor as we forgot all 10 that are in the house in London. At the Media Markt, which is similar to a Best Buy, Scott went looking for the adapters on his own while I decided to ask. But given that the store is not in a tourist location, the employee did not speak any English. It was not a problem. I pulled out the plug and showed the woman and said adapter, and she pointed me to the correct location. Problem solved. Then we were off to the ice caves.

I will preface this with I am scared of heights. To get to the entrance of the ice caves, you have to get to almost the top of the mountain. We drove a while, doing switch backs. We finally arrived at the parking and had to walk another 30 minutes and take a 3 minute funicular. And to me, it was not a very safe walk up. The path was slippery with tiny rocks. And the fences protecting you from falling off the cliff were not very secure – just 2 wooden slats with a big enough gap that someone could slip underneath. So it was very slow going up. It also did not help that it was 37C ~ 94 degrees Fahrenheit on the way up. Once we got to the entrance, we just missed the tour so we had to wait 15 minutes. So we were first in line but then a guy pushed his way up to the front to see why the gate wasn’t opened. We explained that the next tour would be in a few minutes (he spoke English) then he stayed at the front and brought the rest of his group to the front as well. I guess the queue did not apply to his family. It really wasn’t a tour where being in the back meant you didn’t see anything. When the tour guy arrived, he opened the door to the caves and a rush of very cold air poured out. As we walked into the cave, the wind was so strong we could hardly breathe or move forward. One of the women who had cut the queue stopped in the door and I finally had to shout to her to move as I was getting blown away. Inside the cave it is 0C. If anyone decides to go, I would highly recommend gloves.

The caves are amazing. They formed from the ice melting on top of the mountain. Over the years, the water trickled through cracks in the mountain into the cave and froze. There were no pictures in the cave, but here is a link to see one of the sculptures: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sportcamp.at/uploads/pics/Eiswelten_klein_05.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sportcamp.at/campsite/region_activities/en/&h=500&w=800&sz=123&tbnid=RUWdmZuPpennuM:&tbnh=69&tbnw=111&prev=/search%3Fq%3Deiswelten%2Bpictures%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=eiswelten+pictures&docid=vkFXsTtL298IZM&sa=X&ei=Je5lTu2qCub30gH22cW7Cg&ved=0CDUQ9QEwCA&dur=4499 The reason I suggested gloves is that it is 700 steps up the sides of the ice sculptures (which are all natural sculptures, not man made). It was quite steep on the stairs and we had to hold onto the metal railings, which were also 0C. So our hands were the coldest part of our bodies. The way down did not seem so steep but just long so again, we were holding onto the railings.

After the Eiswelten, we decided to head back to town to do some shopping. Unfortunately, we did not buy anything. Things were too pricey since it was a tourist area. Then we headed back to the Pension Herbert because on the first day, Herbert had recommended a restaurant not too far from the B&B. So we went there for dinner. The girls loved it because it had some play equipment – including a trampoline attached that they could play on while we waited for our food. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and saw Herbert & his wife, Rikki, sitting outside. It was a nice night so we joined them. Then I headed inside to do some work and Scott & Herbert had some Austrian beer. I finally went out at midnight to rescue Herbert who had to wake up a lot sooner than we did.

Day 59 – Salzburg Day 2

We awoke late and had breakfast at 10 a.m., the last people to eat. While we were having tea, the girls played with Alexander, Herbert’s son and some other kids who had been saying at the pension who are American kind-of. I think their mother was born in the US, but their father my have been born in Germany and they live in the UK. The breakfast was as I remembered from my previous visit. Bread, jams, Nutella, juice, ham & cheese slices. So good! After breakfast, we headed out for our day of visiting the sites in the city. First, we went to Schloss Hellbrunn. I had gone here 24 years ago in high school during the summer and again in November on our honeymoon. What I remembered from the HS visit was the tricky fountains. We went on a tour of the fountains and all got wet – Emily the most as she volunteered to sit at the Prince’s table. Given that it was 35C already, being wet did not feel so bad. We found a playground right next to the Sound of Music Gazebo – do you have 16 going on 17 in your head now? We also toured the Palace but the girls weren’t easily impressed. At this point, we are all castle snobs. I sent a message to 3 of my facebook friends that I went to Europe with in HS. They all couldn’t believe I was going back or remembered that much.

After Hellbrunn Schloss, we drove into the town and went to HohenSalzburg Festung, the Salzburg Fortress high above the city. We took the Funicular up as opposed to walking it as Scott and I had done on our honeymoon. Way, way better, especially at 90 degrees Fahrenheit! The castle had a marionette theater which the kids liked. The state rooms were not very decorated – remember castle snobs. After we descended, we were in the plaza right next to the Dom where Maria & the Captain got married. There is a large chess set in the plaza and Emily & Ainsley started to play. A gentleman sat down and was shocked that they were actually playing and started giving them tips. He even taught us a new thing – apparently if your pawn makes it across the board, the piece that replaces the pawn acts like a queen. Armed with that move, Ainsley ended up winning as she had 2 queens. I think the man is somewhat a regular there as another player came to play him and the first man sent him away because he was enjoying watching the girls play. At one point, one of the girls made a move without any guidance and both men complimented the move. After the game was finished, we walked over to Mirabell Gardens, where the kids run around singing Do-Re-Me. We got a few pictures that you may see in the Christmas card this year. Next, we found an outside restaurant – no A/C inside anywhere that we walked to. After dinner, Emily requested that we go back to Augustiner so we drove over a second night. Afterwards, Scott said it would be best if I drove and given that it was on the right side, I drove. It felt good – no shouting that I was going to hit anything either so that was a plus!

At bed that night, Emily started off sleeping on the windowsill next to the open windows to get a breeze. Even though we were on the first floor, we had to keep the windows open all night. The first floor windows all have Iron decorative grating so no one could come in. Probably a fire code violation but luckily, no issues.

Day 58 – Salzburg

Our flight to Salzburg was at 1:30 so Scott went out for a quick bike ride in Richmond park while I finished packing. We had prearranged for a taxi to pick us up to take us to Gatwick and when the dispatcher called to see if we had a bicycle, we knew it was the same driver who had taken us from the airport 8 weeks ago. We got to the airport in less than 2 hours from the flight. Since it is all in the European union, Scott figured we did not have to be there 2 hours before an international flight. And luckily, we were fine although some traffic on the M25 got us pretty nervous. Our flight to Salzburg was uneventful.

The map we got from Hertz once we got to Salzburg was not too detailed, but eventually I figured out where we were and was able to navigate to our B&B. I booked the B&B because it could fit all of us in one room at a good price. It is located slightly out of town but within walking distance. When we arrived, our first impression was not the best. It was a small room, and once you added a 4^th bed, it was hard to walk around. However, it was on the first floor which was very good since it did not have any airconditioning. On TripAdvisor, the B&B was ranked number 1 in Salzburg and I got really worried. However, what it lacked in amenities, it made up for in personality. The host , Herbert, was a plethora of suggestions and information.

So we left our bags and headed to town for dinner. The place we ate dinner was also not airconditioned, so I was beginning to feel better that maybe it was not a standard that the pension was missing. After dinner, we headed to the Augustiner Abbey for some beer in the beer garden. Herbert, said that it was kid friendly and there were actually a bunch of kids there. There was a slide and a big barrel that the kids could climb on. Emily & Ainsley met some kids who spoke a little English and they all played “it.” When Scott and I had been here 15 years ago, we sat inside. But given that it was 85 degrees outside, everyone was sitting in a huge beer garden. They had some lemon-flavored seltzer water that was delicious. It was late when we left, so we decided to take a taxi back. It was a rough night trying to get accustomed to the heat but eventually tiredness won out and we all fell asleep.

Day 57 – Victoria & Albert Museum Take 2 & packing

Today, we decided to head back to the Victoria & Albert museum. The museum had another kid activity that I thought we could participate in. We were sent into the museum to get our inspiration for our “sealife” picture. One of the exhibits they recommended was a place where you could try on dresses that were used in plays and operas. So we dressed up and took some pictures. Emily sat down to work on her sealife picture. Ainsley decided to get her inspiration from the dresses themselves and made a dress instead.

Then we went to the courtyard to play in the fountain. This time, we came better prepared with bathing suits since last time, their clothes were soaked. They splash around for almost 1 hour while I did some blog updates. After they were cold, we were able to get changed back into their dry clothes and then we took the tube back to Richmond and the 65 bus back to the house. When Scott got home, he wanted to head to the New Inn for dinner so we had some sheperds pie & chili at the New Inn. Then it was off to home for some packing before heading to bed.

Day 56 - Thumbs up, Its Thursday Part 2

We decided to participate in Thumbs-up, It’s Thursday again. It was raining, but very lightly so we took the ferry to Hampton Court Palace. We did some school work to start getting into the school mode which is quickly coming up. A mother came up and asked if I homeschooled the girls because she was quite surprised that the kids were learning while of the ferry. After the ferry ride, we went to an outside Café across the bridge from the ferry. We were all set outside and then it began to rain harder. So we went inside, not as picturesque.

Once we were finished with lunch, we headed to a different ferry return for return to Kingston. First on our agenda was face painting , which we had arrived for too late two weeks ago. This week was even worse. I got in the queue around 2:30. Maybe 15 minutes later, the woman doing the face painting closed the line (Face painting ended at 4! At least this time, she gave the sign to the last person in line.) While I waited in the queue, the girls drew on the mural in the store. I was quite surprised at all of the pregnant women in the store. As a mother, I was definitely in the minority. I waited for almost 45 minutes, but finally it was our turn. After they got their butterflies painted on their faces, we went to the mall to see the live snakes. And head to the Apple store so we could get a Vat refund. This is something we learned abut that in previous trips had never known. VAT tax is 20% here. On some things,

Next, we headed to get our nails done in anticipation of our next holiday – Austria & Hungary on Saturday. While I got a pedicure, the girls waited very patiently. The women who worked at this salon could not believe how good they were. The hairstylist had no customers, so she french braided Emily’s hair. The hairstylist tried to do the same thing to Ainsley’s hair but it was too short so Ainsley got two braids instead. After our 2 hour nail excursion, we went to the Sainsbury for some cereal. Then we went to the Kingston Library to return one book that we had failed to return 2 weeks ago. I was waiting for the librarian to tell me some huge fine but he said I didn’t owe anything. If books are checked out by kids, there is no fine even if they are returned a week late. Man do I wish the Oakton library did that!

Finally we headed home. It was a long day – almost 8 hours out of the house.

Day 55 - Bike Hire

Back to work for Scott today. I awoke really early to go to the gym before Scott left for work. It was a slow day as I was tired from our “holiday” in Scotland and waking up early. I eventually got motivated to get out mid-afternoon. We called down to a company that rents bikes on the Thames. So we took the bus down to this place and rented 3 bikes. We rode our bikes to Petersham Lane Playground. We felt like the locals riding our bikes along the path with the cows. Luckily, no cows blocked our way. We stayed at the playground for about 30 minutes and then decided to ride in the park. I told the girls we should ride to Ham Gate and back toward the house. Both thought that was SOOOO far but since we had rented the bikes for 2 hours, we had to kill time. When we got to the Ham Gate six minutes later, Emily couldn’t believe it was that fast. The bike that Ainsley got is the same as Emily’s bike at home. And Emily’s was slightly larger than the one she has at home. Even though the girls were both riding slightly larger bikes than at home, neither had a problem. (Guess we will be heading to Spokes for new bikes when we get back to the states.) Then I had them ride up to where the New Inn is located. Again, they were surprised. I chose a route that I had walked that I knew would eventually get us back to the river. Along the way, we ran into the people who rented bikes just after us. They were lost so they joined us. It started raining so we decided to return the bikes early and go to Tesco for some items we forgot last night. Then off to have dinner and go to bed. For dinner, I have been making some roasted potatoes that Emily has been very interested in. I hope they have similar seasoning packets that I use to make them as they are quite tasty.

Day 54 - Back to London

We awoke and headed for another delicious breakfast. Then Scott headed to the beach with the girls and I finished packing. Luckily I called the rental car place and discovered that we had to return the car in town, not at the airport. I quickly called Scott and told him to get back sooner, which he did. We said our goodbyes to Liz and her dogs and headed to return the car. We had no problems getting to the airport. Then we flew back to London. We flew on an airline that is associated with British Air. It was not as nice but we got back to Gatwick and then got a cab back to our house.

Travel tidbit – there are a few discount airlines that fly between the major cities in the UK. And they advertise great rates – L39. But they are not that great and the prices they advertise are not including tax, which adds a LOT to the price. One of these airlines is EasyJet – known as Sleezy Jet as they nickel and dime you for everything. Ryan air is another one that is not looked favorably upon by many.

Since it was still early when we arrived home, Scott went for a bike ride while I got all the laundry started. It is way better to do laundry with the new machines. Then, Scott drove us to the Big Sainsbury for some groceries for the next 3 days since the refrigerator was pretty bare or moldy after 1 week.. I do think that Scott may actually have been to more grocery store trips this summer than the last 3 years.

We got the essentials (like food for dinner, milk, etc.) and headed home for dinner and bed.

Day 53 – Nessie & Castles

Part 2 of our exciting highlands of Scotland tour took us to Lochness in search of Nessie. First, we had a delicious Scottish breakfast made by Liz. At first, we were the only people eating breakfast but then two more sets of guests arrived. After breakfast, we headed to Lochness. We got a later start than expected and I mistakenly read on the map that it was 8 minutes, not 8 miles away so we thought for sure, we would miss the ferry. Luckily an entire tour bus was late so the ferry company was holding the ferry and we just made it. We took the 30 minute ferry ride where we got to search for the Lochness Monster, affectionately known as Nessie. Shockingly, we did not see her.

At the end of the ferry ride, we went to Urquhart castle – also a ruins well preserved on the side of the Loch. We got to climb up some of the towers. One was 3 stories up a narrow twisty staircase that really needed a stoplight. People were going up and down at the same time making it quite difficult. The castle also had a bagpiper who we were talking to while we waited for our return ferry. Then we got another 30 minutes to look for Nessie to no avail. We did learn about John Cobb who died on the Loch trying to break a speedboat record. He did, but it doesn’t count because he crashed just before the finish line.

After Lochness, we decided to visit Cawdor Castle, the most Romantic Castle in Scotland. This castle is currently lived in so we weren’t able to see too many rooms. The girls hurried through because Emily couldn’t read as the plaques with information about the rooms were too high. At the end of the castle tour, Emily gave the castle a 2 out of 10. Then we went in search of the maze that we saw in the advertisement. Unfortunately, the maze is not open to the public as it is made of holly bushes, whose roots are very shallow and therefore walking over them would kill the bushes. Emily felt this was false advertising putting a maze in the brochure that no one can go into and it reinforced her 2 rating. Lastly, we walked around the gardens. This was more fun as the girls explored so the rating got bumped up to a 4. She would not recommend going to see it with kids.

We arrived back at the hotel around 4pm, early for us. Scott did some work and I took the girls for a walk to the beach. It was going well until it started to rain. We waited a bit on the beach but the rain did not seem to want stop so we headed back to the hotel. Upon recommendation from Liz, we went to the Classroom restaurant for dinner. It was quite good. The waitress was a teacher and we were doing some math questions when she came up to the table. She was quite impressed.

After dinner, the rain finally subsided and we just went back to the hotel for an early bedtime.

Day 52 – Castle, Castles and Whisky

Today was a whirlwind of visits. Shockingly, I awoke and was refreshed. We started our day off at 10:30 by visiting the castle ruins. I figured the girls might find it boring, but quite the contrary. They ran around all of the marked areas as we were the only visitors. They loved it! I couldn’t believe it. It was very nice but I was expecting them to maybe be bored.

After Kildrummy, we drove north for 20 minutes to Hunley castle. This too was also a ruin but it was more crowded and not as much fun. It was also a bit smaller than Kildrummy.

Next on the list was a visit to Glenfiddich Distillery for some whisky (that is how they spell it in Scotland). Again, we hoped it would not be too boring for the girls and that proved to be true. We watched a couple videos talking about the history of the distillery. Then we had a tour and at the end of the tour, we watched another video of how the barrels that hold the whiskey are made – Glenfiddich makes their own. And after the video, Emily had a question. While we walked to the end, several of the adults in the group remarked that they too were wondering the same question that Emily asked. At the end of the tour, the guide asked everyone if they wanted to sample three whiskys. Emily & Ainsley said “No” which illicited several laughs from the other people in the tour. The girls got to sample some “juice” and sat along with everyone else.

Then off to some shopping. Since we had been unsuccessful in our search for some Scottish sweaters, we drove north again to Elgin, home of the famous Johnston Wool Mill, We thought we would make it in time to see the tour of the mill but we forgot that it was Sunday and they were closed. Lucky for us, the shop was not closed. We bought kilts for the girls, a sweater dress for Ainsley, a coat of me and one for Scott as well. After we slapped down the credit card, we headed to Spynie Palace, also in Elgin. Spynie was another ruin. We did get to climb into one of the towers and see the underground dungeon area.

Our final visit was to Duffus Castle. It did not have early closing hours and the man at Spynie recommended it. As it was not included in our castle guide, we luckily navigated using an atlas lent to Scott by one of his coworkers. Duffus was built on a big mound of dirt that was man-made. Due to the softness of the ground, one of the towers had fallen, There were other kids at the castle rolling down the hill but we opted to stay clean and not to have the girls roll.

Finally we arrived at the B&B in Nairn – our home for the next two nights. It was spacious even for all of us being in the same room. The cottage was built in 2010 so it was very modern which was nice. Our hostess, Liz, recommended we walk along the beach to dinner at the GolfView hotel which we did. The girls ran around outside while we had an appetizer. We also got to people watch and saw an interesting group made up of young guys (late 20s/early 30s impeccably dressed all wearing very nice watches – Scott noticed the watches) The rest of their group was made up of older gentlemen, not as impeccably dressed. Scot surmised that they were here to play golf as a celebration for a deal as he figured the young guys may have been investment bankers. I heard a Texan accent a few times.

We walked along the road on the way back to the B&B which we went to B.

Day 51 – Crieff/Braemare/Kildrummy

Instead of heading out right away, we decided to hang out and enjoy some of the activities offered at the hotel. So we awoke and had some breakfast. Then I went to the spa and Scott & the girls headed to the outdoor chess game. It was overcast and would lightly rain for a few minutes and then stop again. After chess, we headed over to outside bowling. It was an interesting game. We got 1 white ball and 4 larger black balls. You start the game by having someone roll the white ball down down the “lane.” and then you get points for the person/team who then rolls one of the black balls (which are sorta lopsided) closest to the white ball. We broke into teams and Scott & Emily won. Next, we headed to a bouncy house/slide for 15 minutes. After the girls jumped for 15 minutes, Emily & Scott headed back to the stables for Emily’s turn at riding. Unlike Ainsley, because Emily was 8, she did not have to take a lesson and could “hack” by herself. (with Scott & a guide) While the were off on the hack, Ainsley & rented sone rackets and we played some tennis. Then we headed up to get a picture of Scott & Emily and their hack had arrived earlier than we were told so we missed out of getting a picture. We decided that we should get on the road so we could maybe see a castle.

So we drove and drove a drove through beautiful countryside. A few times we had to stop with the sheep crossing the road. We finally arrived at our first (and only) castle of the day – Braemer.

Braemer castle is owned by the town. The castle was a private residence for a long time before it finally went on the market. The people of the town decided to pool their money together and bought it and have been maintained the castle and giving tours. We arrived 5 minutes after the last tour began but we were able to sneek in to the tour group after receiving an abbreviated description of the first 3 rooms. This castle was nice because it hid a teddy bear in each of the rooms. While the guide discussed the house, the kids searched the room for the teddy bears. One of the more recent occupants was in the fashion business and was quite well known in Scotland.

We then drove to Balmoral but it was closed. That actually made a lot of sense. Balmoral castle is owned by the queen and when she is not at Buckingham, she is here. We read about Balmoral when we learned about Queen Victoria. It was her favorite vacation spot and her family spent a lot of time there. So we drove some more and finally arrived at Kildrummy Castle hotel. It is located right next to Kildrummy castle ruins. It was nice. We ended up having dinner when we arrived in the castle. We got a little nervous when we saw a woman dressed in a long velvet dress and her husband in a tux also going to dinner but we were ok. In speaking with the woman working at the reception desk, apparently that couple always dressed up and we were fine in the clothes we were wearing.

Dinner was very good. Everyone polished off their plates. And then off to bed. The girls room was around the corner and not attached to ours so I ended up sleeping with them and Scott got the room all to himself – (unlike Crieff, it was not too spacey). After he fell asleep, I went over to the girls room for my cozy sleep on 2 chairs pushed together.

Day 50 – Edinburg Part 3/Crieff

So today, we said our goodbyes to Nana & Pop at breakfast. Nana was not feeling so well so they stayed back at the hotel. We went back to the Scottish National Museum and both girls got to do a few new things. Emily stood in line for the race car which was too long on Wednesday. Ainlsey was not tall enough so she and I went to some other activities.

I called the next hotel in Crieff to see if the girls could ride on the horses. Unbeknownst to me, the hotel we stayed in Crieff was similar to the Homestead in VA. There were many activities that we could participate in. So we hurried to get our rental car so that we could be at the hotel for Ainsley’s horseback lesson at 3:30. Unfortunately, at the rental car agency, we realized that we left our booster seats back at the hotel. We luckily navigated back to the hotel quickly, grabbed the seats and headed toward the Crieff Hydro. The rental car was very low in gas so we had to stop to get some gas quickly. However, we could not figure out how to open the gas tank – we spent a good 20 minutes just trying to open it. Since I had been inside getting some snacks, I missed the original search to figure out how to open the gas tank door. After some time, I looked in the car glove compartment and low and behold there was a manual and we were finally able to gas up and head out. Luckily, we did not have any wrong turns and made it to the hotel 15 minutes before Ainsley’s lesson. Scott went with her while Emily & I checked in.

The front desk informed me that they had to give us an upgrade in the room and I really did not think that much about it until we got into the room – or should I say palace. It was HUGE. We could not believe how spacious it was and wished we could stay in this room the rest of our time in London. Alas, it was only for 1 night. Emily & I went to the pool and then when Ainsley and Scott got back, they joined us. We ate dinner in the hotel after the pool and then retired to our rooms – there were 2 with a living room and little family room in the back – for bed. Highly recommend this place if you are in Scotland!

Day 49 – Edinburg Part 2

So we awoke today refreshed. We went to the breakfast at the hotel this am as it was part of the room cost. We all feasted on a hearty Scottish breakfast. I even tried the Black Pudding, a Scottish delicacy and potato scones which were quite yummy. Then it was off for some sight-seeing.

First, we took a bus out to HolyroodPalace, a royal palace. And like other Royal palaces, it was very ornate. Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of the Queen (Prince William’s cousin) had her wedding reception here a few weeks ago. After the palace, Nana visited the gift shop and we all had some hot chocolate (Pop had coffee) and some shortbread which hit the spot. Given that the rain was supposed to subside in the afternoon, we saved Edinburg Castle til the afternoon.

We took a double Decker bus from the Palace to the Castle. But it dropped us off a few blocks to the castle and we had to walk. We walked right through the Fringe which is a dramatic Arts festival. We were bombarded with free tickets to shows put on by artists all over the world – one said he was from Texas. We finally made it to the castle and walked right through the stands we sat in last night at the Tattoo to the entrance of the castle. The castle is very large. Scott & Emily went with the tour and Nana, Pop, Ainsley & I walked around on our own. However, we kept running into one another and eventually Scott & Emily joined us. We went to see St. Margaret’s cathedral, which was not discovered for it true identity until fairly recently. During the tour, Scott said the tour guide said that the chapel was sought after by fathers for many weddings. The tour guide said that it may be because the chapel only seats 24 guests.

We split up and Nana & Pop went to grab some lunch, while we went to check out the dungeons. We learned that Americans were held here at the castle during the Revolutionary War. We all saw an American Flag carved in the wood in one of the holding blocks. We also saw a jail that was used during WWII. What a difference almost 2 centuries makes in accommodations!

After we were finished, we had to of course use the restrooms and who should we bump into but Nana & Pop. So we all left the castle together and got some pictures. They headed back to the hotel while we went to do some shopping. The shopping ended up being a bit too pricey since it was of course right in the tourist area, so we eventually gave up and headed back to the Hilton. Pop made reservations at one of the restaurants in the hotel and we met up there for a very nice dinner.

Then off to bed. This time Ainsley slept in with Nana & Pop and Emily stayed with us.

Day 48 – Edinburg Part 1

Today we woke up very early – at least for the girls and headed to Heathrow to fly up to Edinburg. We arrived well in advance and yet still ended up not getting breakfast due to too slow service. The plane ride was pretty uneventful – Emily was excited because she got to have tea.

We arrived at our hotel around 11 am and checked our bags and headed on the bus to the Britannia – the last royal yacht retired in 1997. Talk about decadence! The staff had to polish the silver everyday – whether or not the queen or any royals were there. There were pictures of Princess Di & the boys all over the boat as she loved the Britannia and it was where she and Prince Charles honeymooned. Interesting fact – The Queen & Prince Phillip had separate rooms whereas the only double bed was brought on board after Prince Charles & Princess Di were on their honeymoon.

After the Britannia, we took a bus back and checked in. The girls didn’t even bother to come to our room because Nana & Pop were already checked in and staying 2 doors down from our room. After visiting with them, we left them to nap and headed to the National Scottish Museum. This was not ranked too high in Trip Advisor but upon a recommendation from one of the restaurant staff in the hotel we met earlier, we decided to visit for an hour. It was amazing. They just went through a 47.4 million renovation. It had many interactive things – reminded me of a Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, sans the heart. We stayed there until it closed (and they started having everyone leave 10 minutes early so that at 5pm, it would be empty.)

Next, we went out to a nice, casual Italian restaurant a block from the hotel with Nana & Pop who we had slept through our knocking & 2 phone calls but luckily answered the door as we were leaving for the restaurant. The food was pretty good but it seemed like forever before it finally came out. We finished up dinner and ran out in the light rain to try to scalp tickets to the Tattoo.

The Tattoo is an 1 ½ hour music show put on by different military music groups and a group of dancing Scottish girls. The show is only put on for a few weeks in August. The show is right outside the Edinburg castle. As you walk to the castle, either side is flanked by stands with 26 rows (so pretty high at the top). It was a very good show except that it rained and rained and rained. Emily & I lasted an hour but Scott & Ainsley stayed the whole time. At the end of the show, a lone bagpiper plays in tribute to all the Scottish military men & women who have fallen during action. It is very moving according to Scott but after an hours of sitting in the drenching rain with no umbrella, comfort won out over moving – besides I can see it on BBC or probably YouTube in warmth and dryness. We walked into our hotel dripping wet – we were quite a sight to see given the fanciness of the hotel lobby. But when we said Tattoo, the staff just nodded as we were not the first to show up that wet.

After we all dried off and warmed up, we quickly went to bed. Emily slept in Nana and Pops room and Ainsley stayed with us tonight.

Day 47 – Pack & Play, English to English Dictionary

Today was a day in since we are leaving for Scotland tomorrow. So we did a lot of laundry to make sure we had everything. The girls played a lot with the legos we brought from home. Since there is not much to write about today, I thought I’d share in an English to English dictionary. It is an accumulation of words used in the US and their equivalents. In case anyone is planning a trip to the UK, this may be helpful – especially note “pants.” I used that word and got a laugh from our housekeeper.

US to UK English Translations

US Word	UK Word
2-lane	Dual Carriage
2 p.m.	14:00
Agents	Advisors
Appropriate, preferred	Proper
Awesome, cool	Brilliant
Bar	Pub
Bathroom/Restroom	Toilet/Loo
Boots	Wellies
Car Rental	Car Hire
Diaper	Nappie
Edge	Verge
Elevator	Lift
ER (Emergency Room)	A&E (Accidents and Emergencies)
Exit	Way Out
Exits (on highways)	Junctions (on motorways)
Fill-up	Top-up
Flashlight	Torch
For Rent	For Let
French Fries	Chips
Garage Sale	Boot Sale
Great	Lovely
Ground Beef	Mince
Hey	Oye
Highway	Motorway
Last Name	Surname
Lawyer	Barrister
Leash	Lead
Line	Queue
Mail	Post
Mailbox	Postbox
Man	Mate
Median	Reserve
Mom	Mum
Operating Room	Theatre
Pants	Trousers
Parking Lot	Car Park
Potato Chips	Crisps
Shoes	Boots
Shopping cart	Trolley
Shots	Pokes, Jabs
Shovel	Spade
Station Wagon	State Car
Steal	Nick
Stroller	Buggie
Sweater, Sweatshirt	Jumper
Tag	It
Thanks	Cheers
Traffic Circle	Roundabout
Trail	Footpath
Trash	Rubbish
Trash bag	Bin liner
Trash can	Rubbish bin or bin
Trash truck	Rubbish lorrie
Truck	Lorrie
Trunk	Boot
Umbrella	Brolly
Underwear	Pants
Vacation	Holiday
Watch Out, Beware	Mind the …
Wife	Misses
Yard	Garden
Zip Code	PostCode