I arrived in London on 29 December 2016. The plan was to get the kids used to Grandma for a few days before Mommy & Daddy leaving for a well deserved holiday.
We went to Kate's, the neighbor, for New Year's Eve again this year. There were lots of people crammed into her little house, made even more crowded because of the live DJ. However, the strobe lights and live music gave a very party atmosphere. Many of the girls danced the night through. Somewhere in time, Julian came up with the phrase, “Cool like a DJ”, although he had never actually seen a DJ. On this night he was quite impressed to see one in action.
Kate has the most unusual wallpaper in her WC. At first glance, the photos look almost Victorian, but on closer inspection, they are very contemporary. There is even a scene with a guy getting held up by gun point. Interesting....
Fireworks were set off early in the evening, for one of the boy's birthdays, which was in 2 days. The New Year's fireworks were set off at midnight. Freya did not like the first round of fireworks and was getting very tired and cranky as midnight was closing in. We had hoped she would stay awake long enough. At about 25 minutes to midnight, Michaela and I took her home to bed. She fell asleep very quickly, so Michaela hurried back to the party.
Len and Michaela left on their holiday on the 4th. Julian was thrilled to have Grandma babysit, Freya was apprehensive. I made pancakes for breakfast every morning. Then took Julian to school, where he would give me a hug before going into the classroom with his little friends. Back at the house, Freya would play quietly or watch TV. I was more utilitarian to her. Change my nappies, feed me, bathe me, turn the TV on, now leave me alone. We went to Tesco a couple of times, but she always seemed like she didn't quite trust me with the adventure. I went with Brid and Aryha to soft play one day. Freya knows and trusts Brid, and of course, knows Aryha, so it went quite well. She didn't really trust me until Mommy came back home, at which point Grandma was then fine to play with.
I let Julian play on my tablet all he wanted, so he was really happy with that. He even requested pancakes for dinner one night, which I made. I think he had a good time without Mommy and Daddy. He was such a conscientious big brother. They would lay on the couch together, under a blanket, and Julian always put Freya to the back – so she doesn't fall off.
Len and Michaela got home Saturday evening after the little ones were in bed. Freya woke during the night and was very happy to see it was Mommy who came to comfort her. Sunday morning, Len, Julian and I rode bikes to take Julian to his swimming class. Julian rode with Len. It was nice to see Julian playing in the water and getting his head wet, considering the last time I was here he was afraid of the water. He looked so cute in his little swim cap and goggles.
We then rode to Pepper's Ghost, where we met Michaela and Freya for Sunday roast. It is a nice, family friendly pub a short walk from their house. We got there early and had plenty of space and had the waitress to ourselves. It still strikes me as funny that children are allowed in the pubs, sitting up at the bar.
About the time we were ready to leave, a big group came in as part of a surprise birthday party. Perfect timing.
I spent a couple of days touring some of the more basic tourist spots. One day I went to the London SeaLife Aquarium. It is near the London Eye and they offer deals if you buy more than one attraction. I had been on the London Eye before – and am saving my next trip to go with Ed – so I bundled the Aquarium, London Dungeon, and Madame Tussaud's. So touristy, but why not?
At the Aquarium, I hit the timing just right. They were feeding the sharks right at the time I was passing by the shark tank. They have 6 sharks in a huge tank. There are other fish swimming around with the sharks. The reason the sharks don't eat them is because the sharks get fed more often than they would in the wild, so they are not hungry. Whole fish were thrown into the tank. I didn't have a good view, but I could see bits of fish floating down for the smaller fishes to eat up. While the sharks were being fed, a guide gave a talk about the kinds of sharks in the tank and a bit on the traits of each one (they have names like one would name a dog). One variety loses 30,000 teeth in a lifetime. The number of shark attacks is so minimal that, in comparison, you are more likely to die falling out of bed than to be killed by a shark. Yet we all continue to crawl in and out of bed every day.
There is no laws protecting how many sharks can be caught in the waters around England. Sharks are still caught for the fins, even though they have NO nutritional value and NO taste. 100 million sharks are killed every year by shark finning and as a by-catch from other fishing. Up to 90% of some shark species have disappeared in the last 30 years. Get this: Without sharks, there could be an increase in smaller animals that eat phytoplankton. Phytoplankton supplies half of the world's oxygen. If the small fish increase and eat more phytoplankton, our carbon dioxide levels will increase. We were encouraged to sign a petition to protect the sharks in UK waters. We could also touch a piece of dried shark skin. It is a lot thicker that I thought.
I also got to see the penguins being fed. There is a lot of controversy regarding the penguins at this location. They do not have any natural sunlight. However, this is done for a reason. Penguins live where it is very cold and very dark - most of the time. The lighting is set to synchronize with the natural sunrise and sunset of their natural habitat. The temperature is also synchronized to their natural habitat. It is very cold, most of the time, and it rises slightly to simulate their natural breeding season. The handlers put small pebbles in their enclosure to help with the mating process. A baby was born there last year. Also, the air is sent through filters and is purified from pollutants. The penguins would die if they breathed the air we do, outside their enclosure. It is always fun to watch them strut about in their little tuxedos and jump out of the water as if they were jet launched.
There were hundreds of different fish and aquatic life ranging from the tropical to the marshland. I got to see some fish that I had only ever heard of (and one I had never heard of) and only dream of seeing on one of my diving trips. When someone tells me to think of my happy spot, I always go back to a dive trip in northern Bali. We had our 3 minute stop on the edge of a reef. There were millions of tiny, colorful fish popping in and out of the coral, looking like crazy colorful popcorn. When the dive-master motioned for us to go up, we all shook our heads, wanting to stay longer. I saw a smaller version of my happy place at the aquarium. I took a minute long video that I can watch over and over again, at home.
The tour took about 2 hours and I still had plenty of time before I was to meet Len for dinner. I decided to take in the London Dungeon, which is almost next door.
The London Dungeon is a very cheesy and touristy destination, but it was lots of fun. Again, I lucked out on the timing. They offer tours at designated times and I happened to hit this one bang on. We were all led into a small room and told by the guide that we were all guilty of treason against Henry VIII and were to be sent to be hung. Alrighty, then! The guides were all dressed in costumes of the era they were enacting. All of the guides were rather gruff and actually yelled at people who were not paying attention. But then again, we were prisoners in the middle ages. It also kept things moving in an orderly fashion. Absolutely no pictures were allowed. One thing that really impressed me was the smells and special effects that they incorporated into the tour. Everything was very poorly lit, and the smells and other effects just added to the sensation of actually being led around the Tower of London to be hung.
On our way to be hung, we were led through a time warp of historical events. We got to experience the fire of 1666. We sat in a pub where one of Jack the Ripper's victims was said to frequent. Through a fantastic strobe-light illusion we were all sure we saw Jack slashing his victim right in front of us.
We were led to a quarantine room, where we were held to be sure we did not have the plague. Bits of water were dripping on us to give us the sensation of pustules bursting. We got to witness an autopsy on one of the plague victims.
We sat in Sweeney Todd's barber chair. Again the special effects were amazing. As we sat, each in our own barber chair, the lights were dimmed to the point of near blindness. Through the magic of surround sound, we could hear Sweeney talking to us in one ear, then switch to the other. Little nudges and pokes, via the chair, were felt in our sides as he whispered threatening ideas in our ears. The finale was when he finally proposed the shave, and all our chairs automatically tipped back. Scream!
We were led through a house of mirrors. We simply could not find our way out. Finally one of the guides pushed one of the mirrors back to reveal a doorway. Clever.
Finally, we were led to the galley, where we were to be hung simultaneously. We all sat in our individual seats and fastened in place. It was a drop-of-doom ride but cleverly done. We dropped a short distance, which still scared the crap out of most of us, then brought back up only to drop further.
We were handed a token coin which we could redeem at the pub on our way out.
Outside I caught a beautiful picture of Parliament and Big Ben across the Thames, before heading to meet Len for dinner.
A few days later I went to the Museum of Natural History. It is a shame that I had not visited this amazing facility before. It is completely free but would have been worth whatever price they would choose to charge. I got there early and had to queue a few minutes before it opened. I stayed until 4:00 pm. It closes at 5:00. The exterior of the building is impressive. The inside is filled with an array of interesting and informative displays that, even though I spent the entire day there, I did not see it all. There are taxidermy animals ranging from humming birds to a polar bear. Some of the animals do not have a natural looking color to them. It was explained that these are very old taxidermies and in order to replace them, an animal would have to die. The museum's concern for welfare of animals extends to the fake rhinoceros horns. I was awe struck at the size of a replica of a blue whale. A giraffe, elephant, and rhino were positioned next to it, to give perspective.
Animals, fish and birds were not the only displays. There was a display of early man, complete with a wax rendition of a homo-sapien and a Neanderthal.
There was a section on earthquakes, volcanoes, and geysers. At the back of the exhibit was a replica of a small store. When you step inside, a small earthquake occurs; with the floor heaving and shaking, and things rocking on the shelves.
There was a special exhibit of photography. I paid the fee to go in. It is amazing that most of these pictures were taken by complete armatures. Many of them were taken by children and teenagers. I was very impressed.
I never made it to the geology, dinosaur, or Darwin section.
A few days later I went to Melissa & Bart's place, in Notting Hill, for lunch. I got to meet 2-year-old Viktor for the first time. We had a simple but delicious lunch of frittata and salad. As always, we had a wonderful visit.
Because I left my friend's house early, I decided to use up my Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum ticket. The museum is on Baker Street so naturally, there is a statue of Sherlock Holmes just outside the tube station.
Madame Tussaud's is one of those places you hear people talk about, you know it is not really worth the price, but you feel you have to go anyway. It lived up to my low expectations. The most interesting part of the whole tour was how they actually make the figures. Over 200 measurements are taken and charted of the face alone. The eyes are hand made and painted to match the iris and whites perfectly. Makeup samples are taken and made to match with special paints to make a perfect finished product. The fiberglass body has a metal frame (so it can hold the weight of the figure and not fall over when people stand up close for pictures). The head is sculpted out of clay, then a plaster mould is poured over it. The plaster mould comes apart in 13 pieces so it can be removed easily. Wax is poured into the plaster mould. The eyes and teeth are placed inside the wax head. The hair is inserted one piece at a time! The makeup is painted on. The body is then painted the right tone and dressed. It takes about 3 months to make one figure.
I was a bit surprised to see how petite Princess Kate is and how big Arnold is. Tom Cruise is a little guy, just as I suspected. Julian was more impressed with the picture of me with Chewbacca than with the Dali Lama.
There was a Marvel Comics 4D movie that I am glad I participated in. They had wind, water and motion effects. I am sure Julian would have loved it, although he is a bit young and might have been a bit freaked out.
Len & Michaela ordered some new dining room furniture. The chairs arrived in huge boxes. I took the opportunity to make a cardboard house out of the box. I cut the front flaps to mimic the front doors on the house, complete with the design of the wrought iron drawn in pen. I cut a window on the side and drew curtains on the inside. Opposite the window, I drew four pictures, one each of Mommy, Daddy, Julian, and Freya. I stuck an extra cardboard into the flaps at the back to make a small table. The kids had so much fun in it.
It began to snow one evening. We quickly bundled the kids up to take them outside while it was still snowing. It usually lasts a short time and hardly ever sticks around. They kids had a great time with the snowballs I made for them. I also made a tiny snowman, about a foot high. They were thrilled.
I did a bit of shopping at Westfield, Decathlon, and on Oxford Street. It was a relatively quiet holiday, but as always, thoroughly enjoyable.
