European Adventures: The Train

Our journey continued as we boarded the Eurostar from London St. Pancreas station. It’s always a little stressful traveling somewhere new, and using a new form of transportation. Pack on top of that, two children, lots of luggage… needless to say we were far from our comfort zone but we managed just fine. The information desk was able to switch our seats so that we’d be sitting next to one another as when we completed the booking, the available seats were all spread out. 
We’d exchanged our dollars for pounds and euros at LAX before we took off so while we waited for the train, we snagged snacks from the shop.
I’ll tell you this, Europe loves some sandwiches. All kinds, it was great (well for me who likes a sandwich) not so great for JT who isn’t a big fan. Nevertheless, he decided on and ate a BLT.
These kids must have had more hot chocolate on this trip than ever before. It was either cocoa, apple juice or orange juice as apparently it’s crazy to gulp down ice water! 

Our first train ride was well and smooth. It takes you under the ocean through a tunnel so our ears kept popping. As we came up on the French side, I couldn’t help staring at the countryside from my window. I literally had to remove the iDevice from my child’s hand and force him to take in scenes from another place! Ah I have a love/hate with iPods for kids. 
The trains do not charge you for nor do they check you luggage. Some people (us) had several large bags but some carried only a small bag. Larger pieces are stored between cars, you load it on and off yourself. Above each seat is an overhead storage bin for carry-on sized luggage, a second and slightly smaller bin for backpacks or coats. Then you have a coat hanger and storage at your feet as well. 
I pulled out a book and settled in for a 2 1/2 hour train ride. Mr. B dozed, I dozed, HeaBug set up a show on the ipad then fell asleep in front of it. The moment we got comfortable, we had arrived at the Brussels-Midi train station. 
Our Belgian experience was whack. Seriously, (brace for a few complaints) it was incredibly cold at the station. The next train we were to catch was the Thalys so we tried as best as we could to follow the signs but it led us to an area that seemed super shady. We gathered all of our things together and I took a seat with our luggage and kids while Mr. B went to see where our next platform was and as we had a two hour wait, if the train was in actually coming. Our biggest fear being that we would miss it. As I sat there with my best, “Do not mess with me” face…. mainly for the guys drinking wine from tiny bottles and listening to old school turkish tunes on his cell phone… Even JT was a little disturbed and didn’t want to let go of the suitcase for fear someone might snatch him.
Here’s my little disclaimer: I want my kids to be perfectly capable and independent. I also want them to have their ghetto sense on (If I have to explain that to you, you don’t have it). We try to teach them to be aware and observant in their surroundings and as adventurous as I’d like them to end up being... a small dose of unreasonable fear is important. Plus I’ve seen TAKEN too many times. 
In his exploration, Mr. B discovered that you must pay to use the toilets. He found another waiting area that had more people (we’d prefer more company than the drunk guys) and a little shopping area. As soon as we crossed the platform into a more populated section I immediately felt a little more comfortable. I saw the Thalys information desk (where Mr. B asked every few minutes when we should board, double checking the platform, where should we board) so we took the opportunity to buy some chocolates, waffles and hot cocoa. HeaBug and JT were watching Princess and the Frog on the ipad while we waited. A little girl (younger than Hea) started watching too. 
Thankfully my sweet kiddos shared happily and the whole of the waiting room watched and giggled as HeaBug and a little French girl talked animatedly about Tiana and Naveen in two different languages, neither one missing a beat.
As Mr. B had been repeatedly assured was right, we went up to our assigned platform 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure only to find it nearly deserted. I asked an attendant where we board and smug face #1 turned to smug face #2 who turned to smug face #3 who says, “It zeems zat yoo are running very late are yoo not?”… Um yeah, dumb punk Thalys information desk guy. 
We had to board right there and drag all of our (big, bulky and heavy) luggage through 2 first class cars, 1 snack car, and 4 comfort class cars before we came upon our seats. 
Ugh.
That was challenging. 
The ride was smooth. We ended up leaving parts of our luggage in between some of the cars we passed through. At each stop, Mr. B would go down and retrieve a piece and bring it closer. When we pulled in to Amsterdam Centraal Station he had to run down a few cars to gather the last of the bags. 
But we’d made it. A short taxi ride later, we pulled up to the Hotel Okura 
which would be our home for the next 7 days.

European Adventure, Here's London

We began our new year with quite the adventure! I'd spent the whole of the previous day packing, packing, packing. The kids are good flyers but we'd never taken a flight so long. 11 hours from LAX to London Heathrow Airport. We took a red eye, 7pm in the hopes that they would sleep. They did but only a little. Thank goodness for free on demand shows and movies in flight. I took a screen shot of the coin currency for the UK, they use Pounds. Elsewhere in Europe they use the Euro. Both of which are depressingly worth more than the dollar. I had to stop thinking of the dollar equivalent... and just enjoy the trip.

Determined to live my life in a culinary adventure I found a little place near the Tower of London called the Kitchen At Tower. It's situated directly next to All Hallows Church and serves homemade British Food. Kids had eggs and toast (Heabug is a runny yolk gal while JT prefers his scrambled). Hubs and I tried the Full English Breakfast. Mushrooms, Beans (which are apparently a staple!), fried egg, roasted tomato, a sausage and bacon/ham. It was great. I have only learned to appreciate mushrooms as an adult but I'm never one to refuse trying something. It was only on the warning of our waitress that I resisted ordering Black Pudding. Next time. The food was terrific, the vibe was great and it gave us a fine start to the day.

We found our Big Bus tour and hopped on. The red line has live commentary by a guide and took us right through the city to see the awesome and traditional sites. Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, The Tower Bridge, Kensington Palace... It was probably the coolest way to see the most things and we got seats on the top, right in the front.

The Big Bus is a hop on/hop off as you please. Busses run throughout the day so we only ever waited 5 or 10 minutes. We hopped off at Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. We were in luck as during the winter, it only happens every OTHER day at 11am. As we waited among THOUSANDS literally we walked through St. James Park, and tossed coins in the Victoria Memorial Fountain.

It was also terribly cold so the guards wear their gray winter coats over their traditional bright red uniform. The very subtle differences on the uniform distinguish which of the five regiments of the British Army the guard is a part of (presence of a plume, the color, button spacing etc). There are the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, and Welsh Guards. It was fantastic to witness events carried out with such ceremony.

We were also glad to visit Westminster Abbey. SO much history in this place that has been home to Benedictine Monks, coronations (since 1066!), baptisms, funerals, weddings (aghh Will and Kate!), and the final resting place of royalty, scientists, play writes, poets, writers, saints, martyrs, and more. We did a children's scavenger hunt as well as an audio tour. We wandered through the beautiful chapels and looked for clues, answering questions on paper and from our children. The beauty of this building is unmatched. There is an inscription on the front that reads: "May God grant to the living grace- the departed rest- the Church and the world peace and concord- and to us sinners eternal life"
As we left the Abbey, the kids turned in their worksheet and received a Golden (chocolate) Coin as a reward!

One of our favorite visits was the Tower of London. We could have stayed there ALL DAY! There was so much to see. It was once a palace, a prison, a stronghold, a military base and a royal mint. There's just SO much. We were led on a tour by one of the Yeoman Warder, the traditional care takers of the Tower. He shared stories of treachery and love and blood and torture and more. We were able to view the Crown Jewels, the very jewels that have been used in coronations of the past. There were also the ewer that has been used at the baptisms, scepters and swords... It was seriously amazing

We really enjoyed our time in London. We ate British food, locals seemed polite (we had several offers of help as we tried to navigate the tube with our luggage and kids from the Airport to our stop at Tower Hill). Things close early. But who really needs Starbucks at 10pm? What I've noticed in Europe so far is the lack of extreme convenience. There are a WHOLE lot of stairs. People seem to do a lot of walking. Vegetarian options are completely the norm on restaurant menus. When you walk or ride a bike, you see more. You manage your time more wisely to get to your destinations. Now granted, it's like pulling teeth to get your drink refilled but you also aren't expected to tip an exorbitant amount as many places include a small service charge on your bill. It's a country deeply steeped in its traditions, they've been through quite a bit in the last 1200 years. But still it stands. A place I'd be happy to come back to and enjoy a nice cuppa.
Thanks London,
Love Mrs. B.

The Post Christmas Family Weekend

We had a great weekend spending time with some family that we hadn't seen in a while! It was terrific getting to see and spend time with them. Love them so much.

Saturday brought time with Los Schlarbs. Mr. B's brother, his beautiful wife Yana and their two amazing children. We visited, feasted on BBQ chicken, scalloped potatoes and cornbread, exchanged gifts and witnessed a nerf/marshmallow war.

It's funny how my hubs and his brother don't necessarily look alike but together with their sons, you cannot deny they are family. Elisha is such a good big cousin to JT and JT really looks up to him.

 Sure do love these gals. I met Naima when she was just a year old. I babysat her when she was HeaBug's age. I taught her about purses and chap stick. She was the flower girl at our wedding and the apple of her Uncle Bobby's eye. We love her so much and we are so proud of the beautiful young lady she has become.

 
 They were able to open their presents from GK and Papa Ron.

My Uncle Ron and his family were down here in Southern California on a holiday. My Aunts' cousin is marching with her band in the Rose Parade so they came to to support her. We were excited to get together in real life, thanks to Facebook, we're able to keep in touch and know what's going on in our lives and with our families. Cousins were fast friends and had lots of fun playing outside. They didn't even stop when it started pouring rain!

 Dancing in the rain!

 Cousins.
No respectable rain play would be complete without hot cocoa to warm up.

It was a great visit and a great weekend. Filled with people we love.

Christmas Morning 2012

Our awesome kiddos slept in until 8:00! In our house you can get into your stocking as soon as you want. When they ventured into the living room, they saw their goodies sitting in new camp moon chairs! These little ones pulled their chairs over to the table and we ate french toast bake. Yum Yum!

After a delicious breakfast, we got down to the business of opening gifts. (Sorry for the weird mix of pictures). From Santa, JT got a new nerf toy and HeaBug got a Pony!

Both kids got new baseball gear for the upcoming Spring Season. JT will be playing Pinto and HeaBug is starting her first season as a Rookie! They were really great about opening gifts. The rule for gifts in our house is that you can pick out any present as long as it is for someone else. It makes it fun and keeps the kids in line when it comes to the excitement of presents.

We have spent 14 Christmas mornings together. I love him so incredibly much.

We swung by the older Booths house. (Mr. B's dads family). yikes on the picture quality. whatevs.

HeaBug and Grandpa reading stories.

After visiting the Booths, we headed to Ontario to my sisters house. This is as we were preparing to pray for the food. We have a lot to be thankful for.

sisters.

We had a great time cooking, eating, visiting, talking, eating more, opening, sharing, giving, laughing, eating, singing, chatting, remembering, loving and just being a family.

Merry Christmas to all. Love Love Love, the Booth Ohana