Sorry everyone for being out of touch for a while (big sorry to Mackenzie), we've been on the go...
As I sit here eating spoonful after spoonful of the delicious combo of peanut butter and Nutella, I think the best way to catch you up on our adventures is to go back to Saturday.
Saturday we woke up at the crack of dawn and drove to Brussels to catch the Eurostar to London. Apparently, Greg said the drive was 2 hours, but I swear it was only 10 minutes...I may have slept the whole way. Our trip to London was only two hours and I have to say, taking the train is a super relaxing way to travel. The boys read and played cards and I slept...again. I'm not sure what Greg did to pass the time.
The very first thing we did when we arrived in London was to make our way to King's Cross Station and visit the infamous 9 3/4 platform! I have to admit, I got a little misty eyed seeing the boys attempt to push their way through the wall to catch the Hogwarts' Express. I think that was the first time the boys really understood and believed in the magic of London.
After our photo shoot at platform 9 3/4 we boarded another train to Bath to visit our friends; Karen, Nigel, Faye and Vanessa Lewis. We had an amazing visit to their home town, Midsommers Norton. Have you ever seen the movie, 'The Holiday?' Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslett? The Lewis' home is an adorable cottage very reminiscent of the English cottage Cameron Diaz lives in during her visit to England. The garden was a kids' paradise with climbing trees and an infinite number of places to hide. Ben even claimed he thought their house was "way better" than ours.
I think the highlight of Greg's trip was Saturday evening (I stayed back to handle the boys)...I won't be able to do it justice, but I will do my best. There was an annual town festival going on that Saturday and apparently it brings out all of the local color. I can sum it by saying that Greg declared it was the "craziest pub experience I've ever had." I'm sure Greg will be able to give all of you details, but this is the info I got...Lady Gaga with a thong, punk rockers, toilet paper rolls and rough cider. Please feel free to use your imaginations on this one...
Apparently, Sunday morning came rather quickly to Greg and was a bit painful as well. I was feeling great, in fact, it was the best sleep I've had since we've been in Europe. Since I was feeling so good, I wanted to do something active and decided to hike down the side of a gorge to Cheddar (home of Cheddar cheese). During the hike, I had a chance to chat with each of the boys and explain to them we were in the very forest King Arthur and his knights rode their horses and protected the local people. At one point, we could even see the abbey King Arthur had built. Thankfully, at the bottom of the gorge was Cheddar which provided all of us with some great local food and more libations! Our hike back to the car seemed a bit longer...the kids were just fine, but I think all of the parents were dragging a touch.
We did finally make it to the car and were eager to rest our sore feet and aching backs during the relaxing ride home. As most of you know, the Chapman family has not had the best of luck with cars and we may have brought our curse with us to England. Not more than 10 minutes into our beautiful drive through the English country side did the car start to rattle something serious. Shortly after the rattle came the smell and after the smell came the...stall. Yes, the car started to break down. Ugghhh....I felt for Karen and Nigel, as I intimately know the feeling of watching the car die before your very eyes. Fortunately for us, the Chapmans, this created more opportunities for touring. We ended up visiting Wells Cathedral, which, for those of you readers, was the inspiration for 'Pillars of the Earth.' Another tear...yes, I did get a bit misty eyed at this sight. Karen, despite what she believes, is an unbelievable guide and delighted us with bits of information about the cathedral. For instance, Wells, is the smallest city in England and a bishop still lives in the bishop quarters built hundreds of years ago. There is one thing, however, that Karen did share with us that I'm not quite ready to believe...she said the swans in the moat are trained to ring a bell when they are hungry. I saw a swan, I saw a bell, but I didn't see a swan ring a bell. Karen, I know we were all a bit tired, but really...a swan ringing bells? C'mon mate!!!
We were sad to leave the Lewis clan on Monday morning, but eager to make our way to London for some more adventures.
As soon as we arrived in London, we dropped our luggage off at the hotel (Greg went to work...sorry, Greg)and made our way, via the underground, to the Tower of London. We stood in a lot of lines, but managed to see all the biggies...Crown Jewels, torture chamber, etc. I treated the boys to yet another ice cream treat after the Tower of London...I'm pretty sure they've had ice cream every day since we've landed in Europe. We sat outside the walls of the Tower of London and ate our ice cream while looking over the Thames river and watching the crowds on the London Bridge.
After a lot of walking, we made our way back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready for our big night on the town. We surprised the boys with a fun Italian dinner followed by the musical, 'Oliver.' Everyone, please remind me of this night, when I'm feeling hopeless about my boys' cultural sensitivities...I want to remember the night when they both declared their love for musicals. It was a magical night.
Which brings us to Tuesday...today. Whew...I think we walked all over London today. We started with the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Ok, for those of you have never done this, don't do it. I spent the whole time holding Sam and Ben up on a gate, so they could catch a glimpse of the guards. I think they had more fun pretending to rock climb on the gate than watching the actual procession. As for me, I didn't see squat. We then walked from Buckingham Palace to Big Ben. My big Ben was so excited to see "his clock." I'm pretty certain, my Ben is convinced he is named after the clock.
Our final tour for the day was a ride in the London Eye. If you are planning a trip here, this is well worth the wait and the money. The kids absolutely loved it. It was the first quiet and calm thing we've done since we've been here and I think we all needed it.
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