Merry Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho!

Christmas ... what a wonderful time of the year! The kids are always looking forward to a bit of loot under the tree! This year was no different! The highlights of the day included:

- sleeping in until 7:50am
- waking up the cousins at 7:20am (their time)
- watching the kids open their gifts
- eating a wonderful Christmas lunch
- playing Melissa's new 'Dance Revolution' PS2 game
- playing Settlers of Cataan with Josh and Ang
- watching the movie 'Lady in the Water'


Austin's favorite gift was his Gamecube, Melissa's favorite gift was her DS Lite, Jacob's favorite gift was his Civilization IV game and my favorite gift was the scrabooking supplies from the best youngest sister in the world, Shelly. Merry Christmas to all!

Tower Power

Torre pendente di Pisa

I will start off by telling a joke. (cough, cough) here it goes ...

What did one awesome girl say to another awesome girl ...

"Let's go on another day trip!"

Ha ha ha! Alright, so it wasn't that funny! But it is factual! A small group of travelers went to Pisa, Italy and Firenze (Florence) for the day! Ang and Josh, Heather, Austin, Melissa and myself got up at the tush-crack of dawn and made our way to the airport. NOTE: there is a trick we used to bypass the long lines ... we pre-booked wheelchair assistance! Heather, a newcomer to the day trip experience, 'took one for the team' and was the designated sickie. Poor girl! She twisted her ankle the day before and couldn't stand on it too long ... the pain, you see, was too much for her. Of course, having someone in the group in a wheelchair put us ahead of the game - there was no waiting for us! NOTE: it is important to note here that we are manipulating the system with all the best of intentions.

After the fun and games had already started, it was time to fly (literally). Off we flew, into the wild, blue yonder and this time, the Alps were snow-covered. I must admit the route we fly whilst traveling to Italy is beautiful. The sunrise was particularly stunning and, although some chose to snooze, I was mesmerized by the beauty of it all. NOTE: it is getting easier for me to fly, which I never thought would be possible! I don't get "foofy" unless there's bad turbulence.

Woo Hoo! Touchdown in Pisa! A flawless flight landed us in a wonderful city! At the airport, we happened upon two sister missionaries of the Church and chatted with them for awhile. They gave us some great tips on traveling to the tower and it was soon on board the city bus. This was a very economical way to travel (.85 euro each) and soon we were at the tower! Here are some interesting facts about the Tower of Pisa:

FACT: The Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the Cathedral

FACT: Construction began in 1173 and lasted for about 200 years

FACT: The architect is still uncertain

FACT: Efforts were made to stop the inclination from the beginning

FACT: Construction was halted for almost 100 years

FACT: Galileo conducted his famous experiments with gravity and the relative speed of falling objects from the top story of the tower

FACT: During WWII, the Allies discovered that the Nazis were using it as an observation post

FACT: The tower was closed from 1990 to 2001 to aid in stabilizing the tower

FACT: The tower has been declared stable for at least another 300 years
After a bit of shopping (where Ang purchased a gorgeous Gucci purse for 25 euro), it was off to spend the day in Firenze! May I state for the record that Florence is the place to shop! WOW! Did we have fun! Even Austin and Josh had a fun time! Melissa bought a adorable black 'Guess' purse and wallet and Austin picked out a special scarf (it couldn't be itchy). We looked around the shopping area for around 5 hours! After some thought, I decided that I, too, would like a gorgeous Gucci purse ... and of course, knowing my luck, I was NOT successful. NOTE: if you want anything at a good price, have Ang barter for a better deal, not me! Gelato was had by all (mmmm ... gooooood) at a wonderful little shop. The clerk had lived in California and was super-duper pleasant! Whilst shopping, I spotted an older man dressed like Santa, so of course, I asked him if I could have a picture of him and the kids. Who wouldn't like a picture of an Italian Santa? After communicating with him through hand gestures, he told me that he wanted me to give him money for a picture. WELL! I've never been so insulted by Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) before! This mommy was definitely NOT going to be kissing him anywhere, much less under the mistletoe! Sad to say, I did not have any euro change and he did not like that too well ... after shouting at me, waving his hands and even hitting me in the shoulder, he walked away. This shouting-waving-hitting episode (he obviously didn't take his meds) only lasted 15 seconds and it was over sooner than you can say "kiss my reindeer". NOTE: Italians are very passionate, verbal people who have no problems with 'personal space'.

We had supper at a small pizzaria - Austin is in love with the prosciutto pizza (ham pizza) and Melissa settled for a margherita pizza (just cheese and tomato sauce - it's named after Queen Margherita). I had a spinach calzone and Josh ate Squidward (he said he tasted yummy, not fishy!) Ang and Heather had some pasta-looking dishes and I have no idea what they were (my apologies ;).

This trip to Pisa was one of the most pleasant I've been on! It was a very relaxing, fun and adventurous time (including the assault by Santa) and I would love to go back and bring Jacob (and get a Gucci purse because I need one)! A highly recommended outing! ;)

Whilst in Rome...

Can you say ROMA?!

It's time again for a trip to Europe! This time, the designation was Roma! Ang, Ashley and I left on Monday morning (in the wee hours). This time, I had a bit of the flu. Alright, I had a LOT of the flu! I was feeling horrid! Vomitting, fever and other nasty things were going on inside my stomach and (may I state for the record) made for a very uncomfortable plane ride! We arrived in Rome and took a coach bus to the Roma Termini, which is the hub for the bus system there.


Our accomodation was really close by ther terminal, and we would have been there twenty minutes earlier if the "hotel" (I use the term loosely) had a sign on the outside! I laid down for awhile and then, after I caught my second wind, we headed out towards the colisseum! The streets of Rome were interesting to navigate - we were able to see a lot of street vendors, which is always nice if you are looking for a bargin! The colisseum was great to see (oh, the bathrooms were okay - seeing as I was in them the majority of the time!) and we all enjoyed a bite to eat. It was 'lights out' at 6:00pm for me - poor Ang and Ashley shared a twin-size bed ... I wonder why no-one wanted to share with me? ;)

On Tuesday, we went to the Roman Forum (aka Palatino) and very much enjoyed looking around there. It was earlier in the morning and whilst we were there, it seemed like we were in a whole new world. It was very peaceful and serene (except for the gestapo guard).

How does someone top off a great day in Rome? Join a protest! Yes, that's right! We joined a protest - we are still a little confused on the exact reason for the protest! What we do know is that it was political and had something to do with the police. Whether they were wanting a raise or didn't want the police to have a raise is the question! The men who roped us into the protest were really nice and funny and they thought it was awesome that Americans would join in. As long as it wasn't anti-American, I think we'll be okay!

Well, we wrapped it up with shopping - I bought Melissa a Louis Vuitton purse (knock-off, of course - don't tell anyone!) and some big sunglasses. Austin got a Roma sweatshirt, a Smart car and a Vespa (all he wanted was a car ;) ) and I bought Jacob an Italia sweatshirt that is too short in the arms because he's so tall!

All-in-all it was a fun trip, but we all came to the same conclusion - it was too long to stay away from our loved ones! Day trips only, from now on!



The picture with Ashley and Ang standing behind a shopkeeper is HILARIOUS - I was looking at the pasta that was for sale and the shopkeeper came out and gave me the "look" (as you can see from the photo!)

The photos of the marble statues were taken at the museum in the palatino. I love the picture of the lady - "argh, me hearties" OR "I curl my lip at you" could describe it!

Austin's Birthday

Happy 7th!

We spent Austin's big birthday in Colchester! Woo Hoo! It was awesome - the kids really like this castle. Of course, Austin requested to go to McDonald's for his special day, so we ended up going to one outside of Sudbury. May I recommend NEVER to go there?! ;) We had some issues regarding Austin's choclate sundae, but he still seemed to enjoy the meal and the McFlurry he had. Seeing as it was right after my surgery, I forgot about making him a cake - so Papa and I made a "dirt cake" for him and we had it on Sunday. Austin was a good sport about it all!

Cool in Colchester

The First Capitol of England
The city of Colchester is only about an hour away, and seeing as Jacob has not been there yet, it was decided to go to the oldest city in England on Austin's big day! We went to the Castle and went on an additional tour under the castle to the Roman 'tunnels' (for lack of a better term). Colchester has a lot to offer - there is a free museum next to the castle, The Hollytrees Museum and a free Natural History Museum that is in a renovated church.

This castle is undeniably one of the most important historic buildings in the country. Beneath the Castle are the remains of the most famous Roman buildings, the Temple of Claudius. Today if you lay your hand on the stonework of the temple it can be said that you are touching the very foundation of Roman Britain. The temple became a main target of the rebels led by Queen Boudica who attacked the town in 60 AD. The town's citizens barricaded themselves into the temple but after two days they were all killed (around 30,000 people).

London Style

Cheers, Mate!

Well, smart idea or not, we spent "Black Friday" in London. Some shopping was done, but not on the level as it would have been if we were in the States! It was an excellent day out - it rained for a bit (it wouldn't be England if it didn't, right?) and the rest of the time was nice. The search for the Hard Rock Cafe did consume most of the day - we were SO lost! It was actually quite funny ... whilst roaming around the city, we were able to see a lot of interesting things. We went to Chinatown, where we had an awesome Chinese/Japanese lunch. Jacob had sushi (of course) and all I could eat was some Miso soup and veggie spring rolls. The kids tried some of the soup and other tidbits but were not impressed. Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly, Leichester Square were also visited by the group. (gee, I hope I'm spelling these right!) After lunch, we just ambled around London, taking the tube here and there. Then came time for supper - it was agreed upon to go to the Hard Rock Cafe. We found the Hard Rock Casino just fine, but the cafe was a bit trickier. We did happen upon Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives! Eventually, we did find the cafe and 'copped a squat' for around 45 minutes to get a table. A highlight of the evening was when Austin had a chocolate sundae and the entire restaraunt sange "Happy Birthday to you" to him. (okay, so his birthday was the next day - we kind of fibbed a little bit!) He thought he was cool! All-in-all, it was one of the best trips to London we went on!

Turkey Day!

Gobble, Gobble!

Thanksgiving is AWESOME! This year, our family was blessed to receive an invitation to Ang and Josh Campbell's. Seeing as it was two days after my surgery, it was nice to eat some solid food. And the turkey ... it was the BEST! Yum, yum! After enjoying the glorious spread, we played our favorite game, Cities and Knights of Cataan. Good times were had by all!

A Fond Farewell

So long, Sandy

It is nearing the time to say "so long" to our friend, Sandy. Maaret arranged a surprise luncheon for Sandy at her fav place to eat, Charlie Chan's, in Cambridge. It was a nice day out, even with the whole 'take-the-kids-to-pizza-hut-quick-and-have-them-scarf-down-a-personal-pan-pizza-
really-quick-so-we-can-get-back-to-the-party-across-the-street'.

Whilst I was enjoying some yummy spring rolls, the food of the day was dim sum. I thought dim sum was like a meatball, but the dim sum enjoyed by our friends was similar to a bit of BBQ pork in a sweet bread. I, unlike my compadras, did not care too much for the dim sum ... kind of ended up like a 'dum sum', if you ask me. Of course, my kiddaroos had to try some of the dim sum - I only made them eat the bread part - and they gave it a big "2 thumbs down" with a bit of "ick" thrown in for good measure. Josh had the - dare I say it - chicken feet. Yes, chicken feet. He seemed to enjoy the skin, I mean feet, very well. Of course, pictures were taken of the "podacious" (ha ha, get it?) event!

Oh - and the critique for the restaraunt is this: I don't know if I will be going back again anytime soon. I was really turned off by the guy smoking behind us. It was a small place and it was kind of stinky. He must have graduated from P.U. I thought most places here in England banned smoking in public restaraunts. I guess I was wrong, again!

Dover and Canterbury - November 10-11, 2006

Dover

We're lookin' over a four lane to Dover! It was an awesome adventure to go to Dover this weekend! A small group of us (to include Jacob, Melissa, Austin and our friends Maaret, Maggie, Ang, Josh and Ashley) went down south for a few days. We started our trip on Friday, seeing as it was a "down" day. (Jacob had the day off for Veteran's Day on Saturday). In a short, few hours we were there! Wee! I had a fun time taking tons of pictures (Jacob just bought me a new memory stick and I can take around 400 pictures - I was a little disappointed to see that I only came away with 241 at the end of the day!) Unfortunately, dusk was falling quite quickly and the "Welcome to Dover in White Cliffs Country" came out a bit on the fuzzy side, but all the same I HAD to take it! (That and the Bugles on my fingers...)

One thing about driving down to the Kent area, we had to travel over the Dartford Crossing (the tunnel on the way home). Even though we see it everytime we come around the M25 this way, I thought I'd snap a shot for memories sake (sing with me ... misty water colored memories ...)

Come on and zoom! Yeah, we're in the Dartford Tunnel here - of course, not one of my favorite pictures; however, how often do you have the opportunity to take a picture whilst in a tunnel in England?










Arrival at dover Castle. Today was a bit on the windy side - okay, who am I kidding! It was very windy!

A bit nippy, you might say! Melissa is taking some photos whilst Ang and Josh are getting ready to experience the Castle!

A short distance from the castle, it's history goes underground to Hellfire Corner and the secret wartime tunnels. The medievaltunnels have been under Castle Hill since 1216. They were mined following a lengthy French siege. The idea was to enable the english soldiers to move undetected or conduct undetected operations. This castle didn't have any dungeons, but visiting these tunnels gives you the feeling of being imprisoned - the big iron-studded doors lent to the atmosphere!

Hellfire Corner - it's what makes Dover Castle so awe-inspiring! The secret wartime tunnels were extended during the Napoleonic Wars in the 18th century. A barracks for more than 2000 men was created, giving this castle the only underground barracks ever built in Great Britain. They were also used by the Coast Blockade Service to combat smuggling gangs but by the 20th century, they had been largely abandoned. The tour that we took in the tunnels was very interesting! We were taken down into Casemate, the bombproof headquarters of the Royal Navy's Dover Command. We were able to see original footage from WWII before our journey underground began. We viewed the hospital on Annexe level above Casemate, some of the quarters that housed over 10,000 troops, a canteen, a military telephone exchange, switchboards and transmitters. The original plotting table in the operations was still there! Also, the clock in the Anti-Aircrafts Operation Room was original - the clock was in sync with Greenwich time and every other clock underground took it's time from that one. The tour was very interactive. Whilst underground, you would hear the sound of an air raid and the voices of men and women going about their regular duties. In the canteen, the food even smelled real - and looked real, too! There was a lot of time and money put into preserving this wonderful historical landmark. I believe the tour guide mentioned that it took 9 years to prepare the tunnels to look like they did in WWII.


Austin and Maggie are "scaring" up some fun in the medieval tunnels. Boo!

After enjoying the medieval tunnels, we came upon some very tempting hills ... Jacob decided to do a little 'butt surfing' (nice trail!) and Josh was in charge of making sure he was safe!

Austin and his rollie-pollies! He is so funny! He had to go down a few times - he literally flew down that hillside!

Melissa, being the refined young lady that she is, decided that doing a rollie-pollie would not be appropriate so instead, she decided to run down the hill. I think she underestimated the hills steep incline ... there was a point where I thought she was going to trip over herself!

After said rolling around, Austin said he had "a bug" in his eye. That thing was pretty big and wanted to burrow into his eye! Ew! Being the concered Mom, I had to take this shot first - hey! These things must be documented for posterity! Geesh! Well, I eventually had to dig it out with my nail! Poor Austin, his eye hurt for awhile after!

Here is the little vermin ... thinking back, I don't even think I smooshed it, I was too concerned with Austin's eye!

Here is a picture taken outside of the medieval tunnels. We really were lucky this day - there was only one other man in the tunnels at the same time we were and there were very few people touring the castle that day! YEAH!









Here's a "group action shot" of everyone.

Ah - the White Cliffs from the car! We spent around 3-4 hours at the castle and by the time it we arrived at the cliffs, it was sunset time! Okay, it was only about 4:30, but it's close to winter time here and it gets dark pretty early!

Austin and Melissa are standing at the top of the cliffs with Dover Castle i nthe background. It was still very windy and hard to get the kids excited about ANOTHER picture!

I finally got my contacts! Woo Hoo! It looks like I also have the "Alfalfa" look (the little boy from The Little Rascals). ;)


The fuzzy wuzzy White Cliffs! We really need to go back here!


Austin is exploring the cliffs - he's trying to follow Josh up the cliffside but Austin's mother was getting a bit "foofy" and didn't like him climbing the cliff too well!

Ah - we are out of the cold and in a pub called The Eight Bells. They had really reasonable prices and Melissa dubbed the mac 'n cheese there "the worst I've ever had". We will continue our quest to find the "best ever" and will let you know.
Canterbury


On November 11, Veteren's Day, we were on our way to the Canterbury Cathedral when we spotted some chaps selling poppies. I had a nice chat with the bloke on the left about the "local boys" who fought in the war.
The Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) cathedral in England. The Cathedral's history goes back to 597AD when St. Augustine was sent here as a missionary. In 1170 Aruchbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the Cathedral and ever since, the Cathedral has attracted thousands of visitors and pilgrims, as told famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Maaret and I were able to be in the Cathedral at 11:00 - the time the armistace was signed, ending WWII - and the bells tolled. There was 2 minutes of silence to remember those lost during that war. I will never forget the feeling I had there. It was a humbling and awesome experience.


We took the "park and ride" in Canterbury, seeing as we didn't want to pay too much moolah for parking. This particular bus was a double-decker and Austin and Maggie really enjoyed being up front! They even pretended to be the bus driver(s). It was cute ...

The gang at the tail-end of our trip. This pub, The Old Gate or something, had a really nice ambiance. Josh and Ang highly recommend the Scotch Broth and bread (it was a HUGE chunk-o-bread), Maaret had a cool bottle of water, and Jacob said the steak was "okay". May I state again, this pub had a really nice ambiance!



Melissa has eyes only for her Papa!
It's home at last! Classically known as the "five-ways roundabout", this is a beacon of light when you have been driving awhile and need to take out your contacts! Oh, and take the A1065 to Swaffham.