London and Bristol

An England trip has been on my short list for a while now. I was in London 20ish years ago for an eight hour layover, so it was time for a more extended visit. As usual, my friend Stacy got me going to plan a trip, like I needed more temptation.  Its almost as if Stacy is the portal through which, Rick "My Crush" Steves, communicates with me. "Goooo to England, Amy. Happy Travellllls." She's also a wizard on Ryanair.com (my nemesis) so it helps to just have her do it for me. We already had plans to see the Aunt and Uncle in Holland during the break, so Stacy, clever girl, found super cheap tickets from Eindhoven airport in Holland.

Part of the cheapness of the tickets is that we only paid to bring one backpack each for a five day trip. Oh boy! But it was actually fun to plan for and much more doable than I thought. We brought enough socks and underwear for each day, three or four shirts, two pants, one pair of pajamas, and wore all of our sweaters and coats on the plane. I brought two duffel bags that fold up really small into themselves to hold our coats, etc. when we're walking around. It worked out really well and it meant we didn't have to drag any big suitcases up and down the Underground steps and through the streets. Fortunately, we could keep extra clothes in the car for the Holland part of the trip.  

We would spend two nights in London and two in Bristol on the other side of the country. We could rent a car but the whole idea just freaks me out. I definitely would injure/maim people from behind the wheel on the left side of the road and even though Marc would likely do all the driving, I would just be screaming and white-knuckling the whole time because it feels so, so wrong. I looked into the train situation and let me tell you, its complicated. There are many types of trains and tickets and discount cards. I wanted to be a smart traveler and not end up paying way more than necessary, but it took more research than I've probably ever done for a trip.

From Eindhoven it was a 45 minute flight! We arrived in the afternoon, took the Stansted Express train another 45 minutes into the city, then double-decker bused it all the way to our hotel on the opposite side of the city. I am so glad we didn't rent a car. Watching the road from above, I could not make heads or tails of what people were doing. Bikes were going everywhere and nothing made sense. My brain can't do it opposite! I can barely cross the street the right way. Why, England? Why?!

Top of the bus

How cute is this tiny ice cream truck???

This was a little beach near our hotel on the Thames river. There was so much beach glass, shells, interesting rocks, and...bones. Lots and lots of bones. They were too big to be a chicken or dog and too small to be a horse, soooo...you can come to your own conclusions. It's the Thames and anything can wash up on the shore. The boys really wanted to bring the bones home because they were "so cool!" but I'm not sure how that would go over with TSA. Hand sanitizer anyone??

The little blue thing could be nothing special or it could be a DELFT TILE FROM THE 16th CENTURY!! I'm going with the latter. Like I said, anything can wash up from the Thames!

Front row seats on the Clipper from our hotel on the east side all the way around to the good stuff on the west side.

Tower Bridge

We wandered around Parliament and saw Big Ben, who is unfortunately surrounded by scaffolding.

Westminster Abbey!!!!

While walking around all these amazing, historic sites, the only thing the boys cared about is cars. "There's a Mercedes AMG!" "A silver Porsche!" And Tobin even saw a Lamborghini. It was thrilling.

Princess Diana Memorial Walk

Buckingham Palace!!!!

The guards started their funny walking back and forth.

As we were walking away from Buckingham Palace, we crossed a street to walk on the park side. In the crosswalk I saw something flat and pink. I don't know what made me pick it up because I had no idea what it could be. It didn't register as money to me because of the pink color, but it was! I opened it up to find 105 Pounds!! That's $134! Its a shocking amount to find. I immediately felt like this was a set-up, like someone was watching to see what I would do with it. But no one was around, there was no one looking frantically, and its not like you can go around asking people if they lost a bunch of money. So, with a large amount of suspicion, guilt, and a moment of silence for the bad juju of the poor soul who lost it, I took the money. Then we went to lunch! Tra la la!

Maybe the Queen has a butler plant money there everyday so  she can watch from a window to see who will pick it up and see the look on their faces. Its one of the theories.

You better be rich or find lots of money on the ground because London is expensive!!

The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

It would have been nice to sit here for longer, but them.

Besides cars, Jonah's main concern was making sure all the park squirrels had enough for winter. He collected as many nuts as he could carry and chased them back to their holes in a tree with his offerings.

I have to say, the best part of all of it - more than seeing the famous places - was that everything was in English. And that I could speak, understand, and be fully understood. Even the little details. Imagine! I didn't feel like a foreigner just trying to get by, hoping it all works out. I really love languages and nothing perks up my ears like hearing people speaking something foreign, but man, it was such a relief to definitely know what was going on and not just making my best guess. It was nice to feel like a fully-functioning adult, which I normally do not in our little Pfaelzisch Dorf in Germany.

We finally made it to the Princess Diana Memorial Park!

It has a Peter Pan theme. Totally worth the walk and we stayed at least 2 hours.

The Pan

I am a total Anglophile. I love all things British. For one thing, everything definitely sounds better. Its a fact. And names of places like Shoreditch, Mudchute, Tooting Broadway, and Spitalfields just make me love it more. They have some of the best literature, music, history, and humor. I love the tradition and that the history is still right there for you to see. There are so many places I want to go in England but since we only had four nights, I had to let go of (many) dreams. My idea of fun includes dressing up and pretending to be in a Jane Austen book. For days.

WHO'S WITH ME? Photo: Austenland

I blame Julie Andrews. I really think watching The Sound of Music dozens of times as a kid is what influenced me. Her with her British accent skipping around Austria. I wanted to talk like her and live in Europe. Well, one out of the two came true.

Cool old buildings

It wouldn't be a Holt family trip without going to at least one Korean restaurant. Fortunately, Marc chose wisely and it was fantastic. 

Good thing they like it, too. Even Jonah likes something: rice and mandu.

There's always that one brother.

We spent two nights at our hotel on the river, then went out for a morning excursion before catching a train.

Awww, he looks so grown up.

Handsome terrors.

Portabello Road and Nottinghill are kind of close to Paddington Station so we went to check that out before our train.

It turns out Sunday is probably the worst day to do this because it was shoulder to shoulder with crowds. I couldn't see much as far as wares for sale, but it was a cute area to sort of see.

 We rounded a corner and I saw a sign for doughnuts. That's all it took and the next thing I know I've purchased five enormous, expensive donuts. It was only after inhaling it whole that I looked around and saw other groups of two to four people sharing one doughnut between them. How sensible and disciplined of them. And then we paid even more later for the sugar high times three. I make really poor choices when I'm hangry. Not good, Amy. Not good.

He doesn't even like doughnuts. Smh.

We boarded a train at Paddingon Station and rode for an hour and 45 minutes all the way to the west coast of the country to Bristol. The most interesting looking place we passed that I totally want to visit is Bath!! It looked like its suspended in time with all the buildings the same sandy color. It didn't even look real.

 Bristol Temple Meads station

I guess we're hostel people. This was a pretty cool place. Still, not quite up to German standards, but good and the location was ideal. It was an old granary warehouse right on the harbor and we were in the attic.

Here's a wall in the lobby showing all the stuff Bristol is famous for...John Cleese, Shaun the Sheep, Captain Blackbeard, Banksy, etc.

We had no idea Bristol was such a beautiful, interesting place.

I really like the word MEWS. There are mews everywhere.

Bristol felt like the Portland of the UK. I can totally imagine bumper stickers that say KEEP BRISTOL WEIRD. It was a fun combination of historic, hip, artsy, a little grungy. revitalized, walkable, and progressive. If you like Portland, you will love Bristol!

LOVED the English breakfast as the hostel.

The only scheduled tour we had for the whole trip was a Banksy/Street Art tour. I'm not even into street art necessarily, unless its a really beautiful mural, but since its Banksy stuff it felt like it was worthwhile. We learned that not all street art is illegal. Besides murals, some smaller things are commissioned. As long as the owner of the building doesn't mind, the art can stay. Sometimes it even helps business.

Well Hung Lover, Banksy

Not Bansky, but fun since Blackbeard is from Bristol

JPS, Banksy-inspired.

A pretty bird. The whole tour was 2.5 hours and we saw even more stuff that I recognize. From where, I don't know, but definitely familiar art work.

The Mild Mild West by Banksy and the end of the tour. I wouldn't have even noticed this stuff if not for the tour.

I thought he looked really cute in my hat.

I like these.

Like I said, our hostel was in a great location. Right across a harbor bridge is a place called M Shed which is a free hands-on museum about Bristol history, but upstairs they have rotating exhibits and this time it just happened to be about the Aardman stop-motion claymation films like Shaun the Sheep, Wallace and Gromit, and specifically their new movie, Early Man. I adore all of their shows and movies, so it was a real treat.

Different facial expressions

An old Bristol bus

Just like the Bean in Chicago

Some famous dude.

After two nights in Bristol, we rode the train back to London for our flight to Holland.

 Back o' the plane. At least its only 45 minutes!

I mean...this is pretty nice.

I have no idea what I'm doing. Perhaps my inner goddess is reflecting The Light back to me as balm for all the testosterone I have to deal with? Or just warming over the bolognese?

It was so nice not to drive all the way back home immediately. When we got to the house, Aunt Tine had spaghetti and salad. It was wonderful to let them take care of us and divert the boys for a few days instead of going right back to regular house stuff. I think Marc and I needed a little rest from the "vacation". These baboons boys of ours are still not easy to travel with despite ALL the traveling they've done. Don't think for one second that we're actually enjoying ourselves. Oh no! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA HAAAA HAHRPPHHHH (cough sputter cough). They're never great on trips, but this one was especially awful.

My children walking down the streets of London.

I just want to have some nice family time and make memories, blah, blah, but its like their goal is to make it as difficult as possible. We'd be walking down a street in London and they would literally be pulling each other down on top of each other in the middle of yet another wrestling match. ON THE SIDEWALK. My childhood with one sister did not prepare me for the total insanity that is three physical, competitive boys. Not one of them is a calm, nose-in-a-book, quiet type and I know boys like that exist, so don't give me the "boys will be boys" crap. There are so many things Marc and I want to do, see, and experience, but know its not going to happen. Much of the trip was us feeling overwhelmed and stressed out just trying to cope with them and their energy. Its tempting to want to stay home and not bring our crazy out into the world but when the travel bug bites and everything is so close and cheap to get to, its hard to refuse. I keep thinking the next time will be easier, but, so far, it never has been.

This poor pony just needs a haircut or opposable thumbs for a minute to get all that hair out it's face! How can she stand it??

After busy, crowded England, it was great to see them run and ride free.

Holland: where the milk flows like beer.

Richard grew up in these woods and knows his way around a chestnut which he roasted for us in the huge fireplace.

Very dangerous fairy tale fungus

 Mini mushroom city

Considering leaving this elf in the woods where he belongs.

That's all for now. It was great speaking English, we did make some memories, took some pictures, and the amnesia is already kicking in about how awful the boys were. Maybe the next trip will be easier?? Me: