Thursday

Today we awoke earlier than the other days so we could leave at 9:00am. We need to make the London Terminal, the Marylabone station, to take the train out to Warwick to visit the Warwick castle. It seems to be our norm, three underground trains to our destination. Today's tube line travel is Northern line to Baker Street, the Bakerloo line to Metropoliton line to Marylebone.

The sky was gray today. No sun and very cold. Coldest day yet. I made Jake bring his new coat. He brought his scarf and his baseball cap. He was carrying his coat not wearing it. I told him I would give him a pound if he put it on but he still refused. Mom and I decided we would let Jake wear what he wears and not say anything more. I said one more thing. I told him we are looking out for what is best for him and he should wear it because it was so cold, and not to be so concerned with style when your comfort was at stake. Okay, that's it done. By the time we got to Marylebone he surprised us and was wearing it. It was a good decision because it was so cold at the castle.

We boarded the train - the real thing - not the tube. We got two tables seating four so all eight of us got to sit together. The train breezed along at a fast 80 mph or so clip. London truned into English countryside. We saw sheep with black faces, cows, horses with jackets (blankets), and barges ambling down creeks. The rolling green pastures were beautiful.

We got off at Warwick station and walked through the town of Warwick and got to the castle about 15 minutes later. The castle was huge and impressive but not just the castle with its two ful rampart towers but the grounds surrounding the castel and the reiver rushing around it and the boat house. From one of the ramparts you could see the pointed root tops of the houses and pubs along the castle streests. Most of it looked like I imagine, ow it did 3 or 4 hundred years ago. The castle is over 10000 years old.

Views from the castle parapets.



They had a dungeoun show that was only a few years old. We shouldn't have taken Sam because he was crying and scared. It was quite scary and cramped in the dungeon. I wish they just gave us the bare bones tour instead of turning it into a Halloween haunted house type thing. Though the actors were good.



Sam had to take pictures with the guys in costume.



 




 

Views from within the castle.

We caught the 4:42 PM train back to London. We had French toast for dinner. 

Good Friday

Today we caught a bus right out on Archway. We sat on the second deck. We took it into Camden Town. Aunt Cari warned us about the exotic people we would see. She said it was like Melrose on steroids, but since I'm not from Southern California I couldn't relate.
It was like this giant street fair with many different streets and a river. There were markets with their goods pulled out onto the sidewalks and streets. There were downstairs and upstairs shopping and eating boothes. It was crowded like a busy Saturday at Mill Avenue only it was 10am on Friday and Cari said that on the weekends you can't walk because it's to busy.

The aroma of jerk seasoning and falafels and kangaroo burgers and other ethnic spices were making us hungry. We weren't used to such a spicy ethnic smell the past week.
I must say I am very happy with my kids. I was especially worried about Sam because I knew our western European holiday would involve lots of walking, busyt crowds and hustle and bustle, but he's enjoying himself. The markets, and walking strolling, squeezing through people is no problem. He, Luke and Jake are up for it and doing well and mostimportantly, enjoying themselves.
From Camden Town we took the tube to London Bridge. It seems every trainstop, every location we go to is unique, beautiful in its own way, and crowded. Not so crowded that ist aggravating, but so full of people and its only Friday afternoon. Granted it is Good Friday and a bank holday.

Cari said if you're bored with London then you're bored with life. Debbie said she heard the same aabout Italy. I've never been, but I can buy it about London. London Bridge has much to do food market, and wine places under bridges and in historical alley ways and then youget to the Thames with its own beauty.

We walked up the river Thames to till we got to the Tate Modern museum. The featured artist was Damien Hirst. If you've been in London the past week (probably longer even ) you've seen "Damien Hirst" in the Undergound, on buses, in stations, and newsperpers.

The line for the Damien Hirst exhibit was wrapping around too many turnstiles to be worth the wait so we went to the 4th floor to the Yasoi Kasama.
We split up after the museum: i took Luke and Sam to Highgate Woods park, Sari, Cari, and Jake went back to Camden Town and Pop and Grandma went to St. Johns.
We met a very friendly and talkative mum on the tube. Sam was having a meltdown and she was being very supportinve. We enjoyed Highgate Woods, though I think I prefered Waterlow Park from a few days ago. Sam like this one better because of the playground. Luke's not sure. Also, being Good Friday it was crowded. We walked home - I had to use IPhone maps for the route. We came home to anothre night of comfort food - meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. We noticed that the homeowner had movies that weren't out on DVD yet like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Tree of Life.

Saturday

Today, we are on our own. Pop and Grandma are going to Kensington Palace. Sari and Cari are riding the train to Richmond where Cari lives.

The boys and I took our time to get ready. We headed to Watrelow Park and the cemetary. It was another cold day, forecasted to be low 50's and a definite threat of rain. No sun today.

Sam and Jake wanted to go to Highgate Woods after Waterlow, but because we had to walk down the bridge steps toward the house and then double back up the hill, we went home first for lunch. We had plenty of leftovers. Luke said he wasn't much interested in going to Highgate Woods again. I suggested we check it out since Jake hasn't been. Sam replied, I don't want to just "check it out" and makes the hand quotes motion. I had the house cell phone so was able to touch base with Sari and Cari. They were going to stop for lunch and then head to Hamptstead Heath. We finished lunch and walked down to Archway to buy a day pass for Jake and then caught the C11 bus outside the station to Hampstead Heath. Sam still wanted to go to Highgate Woods but I told him we could go later.

We connected with Sari and Cari just minutes after getting off the bus a few blocks past they came off the train.

The public transportation is really easy and effective here. There's much that LA and Phoenix can do to improve. You can get anywhere with public transportation here. Pop says they've had a few hundred years head start.

Hampstead Heath is a large scale park with different sections like Parliament Hill play area, a couple of bathing lakes, huge expanses of green, and in one section a weekend fair was setup with rides and booths.
We let Jake and Sam go into a "house of mirrors" and I had to go in to rescue Sam. It's unfortunate that Phoenix and even LA don't have these large scale parks. You truly feel like your're out of the city. There's a hill in the park where you get a panaoramic view of London.

Every place we've been so far, there have been multiple churches overseeing the neighborhoods. Large, ornate, and historically old buildings. They're active preparing for services because its Easter weekend. Walking from Hampstead Heath to catch our bus home we were welcomed in one of these churches to admire its beauty. They were preparing for an 8:30 service. You don't get many late services like that in Tempe.
After making it back to Archway, we stopped, hinally, at Charlotte Despard pub. I've been wanting to go in since the first we passed it. It's just down from our house and across Archway road. There's a tunnel under Archway you can walk through. They call it a "subway."

Myself, Sari, Cari and the boys made ourselves at home. Cari and I had a pint of English ale. The lady bartender gave Cari a quick synopsis of the make of the ale and where the brewery's is located. There were a bunch of board games available. Jake and Luke settled into a game of chess, Sari and Cari Scrabble, and Sam and I Battleship.

When it was time to go the guy bartender gave us a little history lesson about Archway. It was a road built by the Romans. They cut a tunnel through the hill so they didn't have to go over it. Eventually, it colapsed and killed many people. Right outside the pub was an egg drop (apparently they gathered eggs there). The existing bridge at the top of Archway was built by a famous English architect Turnblood or something beginning with T. It is now known as suicide bridge because of all the people jumping off because of bad economic times.

He told us how the get to the Parkland Walk from suicide bridge (two streets down, turn left on Stanhope Road). I can't wait to take that walk. He said you can go for 40 minutes and it won't seem like you're in London. He also said keep an eye out for the graffiti and specifically a cat he and his boys did.

We made it home before pop and grandma. Tonight was leftover night. We had plenty of spaghetti, meatloaf and mashed potatores, and salad.