Getting Ready to Leave the UK

We are now down to FIVE days left in the UK. We've had more adventures in July which I haven't catalogued - Isle of Wight, Rye, Derby (again!!) for the Peak District, York - and here, a family portrait taken by ace photographer Peter Whyte on the bowling green lawn next to Lewes Castle which you can see betwen Robin and Eleanor's heads. We have posted much about our adventures here and not so much about our adopted town of Lewes, but let us say a grand THANK YOU to Lewes for being friendly, walkable, historic, intriguing, and comforting to our family. Western Road Community Primary School was an excellent choice for all of us and the Southdown Tennis Club has been another welcoming home for the whole family. The Elephant and Castle Pub has been a great 'local' for us, especially Glen who has spent many a long Thursday evening playing Texas Hold'em there, bowling skittles for them, and playing stoolball (Eleanor did too). If you need us to explain those last two to you, it's because you are not from East Sussex. And of course, none of this would be possible without the University of Sussex and the US-UK Fulbright Commission. The staff at both institutions have been absolutely incredible. Thanks all for a great year -- and watch out Philly, here we come.

Robert, King of Lewes Castle, Celebrates #6

Don't know who had more fun at this party - him, me, his sister, dad or Grammy?!? Above, you can see Sir Robert dressed as a knight on top of the barbican of Lewes castle. Upper right shows him and his friends having a toast out of goblets.
This lower picture gives a great sense of the castle grounds where we played a lot of games and the outside of the barbican. In there is where the party was held. It was a glorious day and his friends were just great. We got to party like it was 1077!!!

Wimbledon 2009

We actually saw Wimbledon. My mother is here also and she got to experience the English queue. It was something. We got to the 'parking lot' at 10:30 a.m. and were admitted to the grounds at 2 p.m. It was very well organized but very hot too. As we went on the second day (foolishly thinking the lines would be SHORT) we got to see a lot of tennis on the outlying courts (centre court and court 1 were extra of course - and sold out by the time we got to the front of the line). Everywhere you looked there were matches and look how close we got. Don't ask me who this is -- I don't remember and it doesn't matter because she's not in it anymore -- that's the beauty of the first round. But she could have beaten any of us. In fact, she won this match. And yes, we did have strawberries and cream (and Pimm's).

Norway has it ALL!!!

What a way to spend our last regular school break at the end of May! If you are looking for something for everyone, go to Oslo. First, you can see that Glen managed to find a race course - at right you can see Eleanor and our Norwegian friend Marit at the track in Eiksmarka. Below, Robert made a 'sculpture' out of fabulous branches on the porch of Marit's house.

Well, it gets even better. Marit also has a cabin about 90 minutes Northwest of Oslo on her own island. Yes, you read that right. This island is so private you have to get to it in a rowboat. Really. Big fun for a family of suburbanites. Here is the view from the cabin.
I've done something to the picture below, so bear with me. This is the opera house in Oslo. Glen walked on the roof which is amazing for its views of the harbor. There is a lot of amazing modern architecture in Oslo.

In addition, there are lots of public sculptures, like this one below, that just pop up all over the place. Or for an amazing sculpture treat, visit Vigeland Park.http://www.norwayguide.no/ta/vigeland.htm

Finally, here is a view of the harbor in Oslo near where the major museums are: the Fram (polar explorer ship, Robin's favorite), Kon-Tiki, Viking Boats, and Folk Museum. Plus, in the morning the fisherman are there selling their catches. But do be warned, while not quite as expensive as Copenhagen, Oslo is certainly up there. It was totally worth it though.

Brighton with Blythe

Our dear friend Blythe visited us for four days and we showed her everything, including Brighton, our closest big city. Brighton is on the English Channel so we went there to wiggle our feet in the rocks (boulders really) and go to the pier and have ice cream in the wind. It was also the big day that Eleanor FINALLY got her ears pierced. Of course, these are from Blythe's camera so there are no pictures of her. Hmmm...

Derby Again, for the Women's FA Cup

Did you see us at the FA cup final in Pride Park in Derby??? We had front row seats in the middle. And of course, I don't need to tell you that the team in red, the victors, are Arsenal's women's team, do I??? Arsenal is in the south of England, and Derby is in the north, so the crowd rooted for the underdog Sunderland, also in the north (though both are 2.5 hours away in opposite directions, but you know how regional loyalties can be). We had great fun despite the chilly, rainy day.

Copenhagen in the Springtime

Two incredible things about Copenhagen: it is absolutely beautiful in the spring and it has Lutheran churches that are very old! And it is so expensive that I'm glad we enjoyed it because that's it. So that's three things. Also, everything you have seen and heard about Danish design is true -- witness the cool cardboard chair and Ottoman. I took a photo of the family with the Little Mermaid. And then I went to work at the University of Copenhagen for a workshop which was just fabulous, one of the best things I've done ever!

Lisbon for Play and Work

We went directly from Madrid to Lisbon. I had a conference there and the family toured for a few days before I began, then left early to enjoy a few days in London before I was done. Here, you will see that Lisbon is a city of tile, churches, and clay roofs! We really did an awful lot there in a short time, but it is a much poorer place overall than Madrid and we were sorry to see so much grafitti and disrepair in the buildings. The people were very friendly -- but just watch out in restaurants. The 'appetizers' they bring out in bounty are not included. As one waiter said quickly 'you eat, you pay, you no eat, you no pay.' Since a small plate of jamon can cost 9 Euros, we learned to have them remove it immediately!

Springtime in Madrid

We went to Madrid in the first week of April and had a blast. The weather was amazing, the people were friendly, and the food was excellent. Our favorite place was Parque Retiro, where the kids are pictured on the lower left. It's huge, beautifully landscaped, with millions of playgrounds, a lake with paddle boats -- and a fitness trail. It's amazing. In other views, Robert is eating Paella in a restaurant where you order one huge dish for the table. Robert liked paella because of the mussels and squid. Finally, me and the kids are pictured in the plaza of the Royal Pallace. It is amazing building. Go see it already -- what are you waiting for?

British Scientist in the Making

If you can believe it, there's a school club that Dad is not running -- the recently concluded Science Club at Western Road School, run by another parent Dr. Allison Lansley. Here, Eleanor is making a volcano. She even got to keep the lab coat -- very cool!

Wir Sind Berliners

I've been to Germany once before in a wonderful trip with my mother and daughter in the summer of 2005. We saw a lot of the southwest, including a good deal of Bavaria. Let's just say Berlin is not really like that part of Germany - AT ALL. Now, given the history, we understand why it feels like any anonymous American city, especially since we were staying in the East. Here, you can enjoy a view of the Alexanderplatz McDonald's. How Glen got a shot of it amidst all the Burger Kings, Dunkin' Donuts, Subways and Starbucks I'll never know.

Well, we found the historic parts too. Here we are at the Brandenburg Tor (gate) which is where the wall first came down and this is the symbol of a united Germany. One of these guys is alive, and one not. The live one freaked the kids out so that we had to do this picture alone.

Finally, what would a trip to a former communist city be without the requisite Marxist statue? Here is Eleanor with some new German Fulbright friends from Sacramento, CA climbing on Karl Marx's lap, while Engels stands watch.

The Real Tower of London

So, after the Eiffel Tower trip, we went to London to see the real Tower (or should I say tower(s) as there are more than 20) of London. Here you can see our own personal Beefeater who gave the tour. It's quite a realistic-sounding tour, as it actually scared Robert to hear about all the drawing and quartering.

Here's some changing of the guard ceremony where you see the crown jewels -- on a moving sidewalk, lest you dawdle too long. Finally, below, the kids and I are on the walk near the Thames near the Tower bridge which has NOTHING to do with the Tower of London (which was a 'working' military castle and prison) except that it is close by. And it's pretty.

Paris In February

Yes, it does look like we are wearing the same thing in many of these pictures as it is FREEZING in January and February -- just not as cold as in Philadelphia. The kids had another school break and Eleanor had asked for Paris! We took the Eurostar and stayed at a great 2 BR apartment near the Louvre. The top picture is outside the Pompidou Centre. I bet many of you have seen that before, but how many of you have had your 10 year old turn around and hand you a molar????? The tooth fairy has very good European maps as Eleanor has lost teeth in Belgium, England, and France. I suppose she will lose the corresponding one on the other side in Berlin (mid-March). As for the other photo, obviously we are outside the Eiffel Tower. But how do you convince a 5 year old that it is not the "Eiffel Tower of London"? You know, they can be pretty convinced they are right. Not until we returned to Lewes did it become the "Eiffel Tower of Paris." We did all the typical tourist things - Notre Dame, Seine Cruise, Louvre, crepes on the street....and still it was crowded in chilly February. I can only imagine what it is like in July!

Harry Potter Tour!

How can you say you've really seen England until you've walked in Harry Potter's shoes??? This past week, Julia, our indispensable American resource, visited. As she could never get our kids in bed because the Harry Potter movie was still going, we figured an 8 hour tour of Harry Potter film sites in London and Oxford was in order. Though it was pricey, I'd recommend Londontaxitours.com. It was the most reasonable we found, and they were very accommodating. When we got home and watched the first movie, everything was as he promised -- down to really nifty details!! The picture in the left finds us at the chapel at Oxford which was used to film the dance sequences in Goblet of Fire and the Hospital Wing in several of the films. Below....well, do I have to explain that????

Speaking of Christmas Livestock...

Here you can see the kids walking actual reindeer in Conkers, an interesting re-use of an old coal mine. It's an outdoor/indoor activity and nature park. This is in the East Midlands close to our friends the Warrens in Derby (many Warrens are in the background of this picture). It was a cold day, but we happened to hit the reindeer people at the right time and got to walk them all around the park. It was fun, followed by a great meal at a "Two for One" pub --- the economy has hit them hard so you can get fantastic food deals there if you will only go in and buy a pint (or two or three...)

Christmas Time in English Schools....

...the real meaning of no separation of church and state! You should have heard all the religious carols we sang (and no multiculturalism provided!). You can even see our elf, fifth from the right, standing row, adjusting his costume in the traditional Reception/Year One show. The Reception kids, or preschoolers, do a "Wiggly Nativity." Robert's year did a story about Santa and his elves. English people very much enjoy Christmas, but when it's over, it's OVER! Now, back to school tomorrow!