Spring break for Em & Walt: 19-30 March

We were happy to be able to host my cousin and her boyfriend during their Spring Break holiday. I went to pick them up at Heathrow and bring them back via the Tube. They were naturals! Their very first night, we all went to the place our friend Marianne works at. I feel like this place has become our own “Cheers!” Everyone there has been very welcoming with Matt and I and they showed no difference with Em and Walt. I’d say they were off to a good start!

They spent a good amount of time on their own in the mornings, even seeing a few shows at night. I had fun taking them around Westminster and introducing them to meat pies and minty mushy peas. Matt and I joined them for the IMAX film Hubble 3D and an afternoon at the Science Museum. Em and Walt actually decided to go back for another ½ day of walking through the museum since it was so big. They have nearly everything you could think of regarding inventions and the evolution of science: airplanes, steam engines, looms, lock and keys, even household equipment. The IMAX film was excellent; an amazing view into the experience of those astronauts assigned to the last Hubble telescope repair mission. The pictures they were able to capture are breathtaking! I highly recommend it!

We also had a nice, typically blighty-with-intermittent-sun day at Hampton Court Palace. We toured rooms depicting the life and times of Henry VIII, as well as William and Mary and George II. Matt and I had purchased a Historic Royal Palaces membership so we were able to get into the “members only” lounge. It is a converted apartment there and perfect for escaping the school children whilst having a nice cup of tea (or coffee). The Palace itself was beautiful, having primarily been built by Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor. He was very powerful in both the Church and State. After Henry had him put to death for treason (go figure), Henry took the house as his own. He had once even declared it his favourite home. Interesting. What is also interesting about this palace is that it contains a hedge maze, which remains from the 1600s rule of William III. During our tour there, actors would intermittently act out short skits depicting what Henry VIII may have done on his wedding day to his last wife, Catherine Parr. This seemed most fun and educational for the school children in attendance that day. We just got a kick out of the costumes and the actors’ enthusiasm. Brave is the man who plays the role of Henry VIII.

Our last night together was spent eating dinner while watching Lady Gaga videos, thanks to Emily. Of course, we also had a short Boggle tournament. It is my personal opinion that no trip is complete without Boggle. Don’t you agree?

Matt and I really enjoyed having Em and Walt with us! I just hope they had a good time and were able to see everything they wanted! :)

For pictures from their trip, click here.

For more information on the following, click on them:
IMAX Hubble 3D
Hampton Court Palace
Cardinal Wolsey

Saint Patrick's Day

I was already working in SoHo that day so Beckie and I weren’t sure how we would manage to meet up for a little celebration. There didn’t seem to be too much activity to announce this was a holiday besides some pubs placing green balloons and Irish flags outside. In the afternoon, as I walked through SoHo, I passed by a few Irish pubs that were certainly getting ready for the day’s activities. In fact, some of them were already full and had lines outside; one of the people waiting had his hair shaved into a shamrock. Overall, it seemed like another day. When I got off work though the atmosphere had changed-the streets were fairly full of people and pubs were dolling out the Guinness. Down the street from our flat Beckie was already hanging out at the pub that served Thai food so I decided to join her there. Walking back to the Tube revealed the majority of the pubs were overflowing and that Guinness would not let this day go unadvertised. Back at the Thai pub-we ate but decided to go back to the city to soak in whatever mayhem might be going on. Not before however bar staff asked Beckie if she wanted a Guinness hat, I promptly said “yes.” We arrived back in the city and made the choice to trek around Covent Garden and Leicester Square. We tried to get into a traditional Irish pub near Covent Garden but it was overflowing onto the small cobbled street it was wedged in. Not to fear though, there was another pub around the corner, The Salisbury. It wasn’t too busy so we made our way inside for an obligatory pint. I think the pictures explain how it was, and it wasn’t TOO busy. We spent the following hour walking around the Covent Garden-Leicester Square area avoiding stumbling drunks, broken glasses and the overwhelmed tourist. I think we’re one step above tourists at this point; that step isn’t very large. The Tube platform was fairly busy with revelers who were all in friendly spritely moods. Except for the one dude sitting on a bench and cradling his head between his knees…he then spectacular chunks right as were stepping onto the train.

National Archives & tea

Ok, well the next day we decided to go to the National Archives. The museum wasn’t very large at all. In fact, the main attraction (obviously) is to check materials out of the archives themselves. However, we did go to the museum and check out the biggest draw there, the Domesday Book. Commissioned by William the Conqueror and completed by 1086, it is basically a census of England and determined taxes/tribute. The Great Domesday Book (all of England minus northern counties) and the Little Domesday Book (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex) are on display at the museum. The Great Domesday Book was practically written by one person over many years on sheepskin. The rest of the museum had old books of the Exchequer, spy memorabilia, and a photo of an African slave trading ship. It seems that most of the museum is there for the Domesday Books though. We spent an hour there before we headed off with the intent to come back and for Beckie to research some genealogy. We stopped in at The Maids of Honour for some afternoon tea. The shop was right along Kew Road and across from Kew Gardens. It feels like a teahouse should, I suppose; timbered, pastel colors, and local employees. The tea and scones were relatively cheap and good. After our civilized English tea, we trekked off to the rugged Thames Path for another cache and then rode the bus back. Rough.

Thames Path & Kew

Not a terribly exciting entry but one we want to document for ourselves. We planned to go down to Kew Gardens which is only about a 12-minute bus ride away. The gardens are quite large and stay open throughout the seasons. Inside the gardens is Kew Palace and Wakehurst Place, but Kew Palace is a separate entry fee. Well, we arrived at the gardens and realized it would’ve cost us £26 for admittance and we weren’t quite ready to spend that amount for half a day. What to do? Luckily, we were near the Thames and decided to walk it a few miles from Kew down to Richmond. Luckily, the bus we rode down to Kew also goes to Richmond so we could just hop on once we were finished. It was a windy, overcast day to walk down the Thames, but enjoyable nonetheless. There were hardly any people out and we were able to cache along the way. Not far down the path from Kew we took in the cheap view of Kew Palace. We were walking the Thames Path, a National Way, which eventually ends about 100 miles away. Halfway through the walk we came to an odd stainless steel pillar alongside the path. It turns out it was the Prime Meridian! The monument had a slit in it that if looked through allows you to follow the path of the meridian to the horizon. A cache was there! About a mile away from Richmond the sun started to poke out illuminating parts of Twickenham as we approached. We finally came into Richmond and walked by this tiny tucked away pub near the river. We didn’t stop. The path up from the river took us by the death place of Elizabeth I and up past the “village” green. We ended up stopping at The Orange Tree to check out a geocaching event, but decided against making ourselves known to the attendees. We had a pint and watched them for a while instead. We decided we would go to the National Archives next time we were in the area because it is on the other side of Kew opposite where we started on the Thames Path. I can easily see completing the Thames Path as a great experience in late summer and early fall… although the Pennine Way is calling.