Thursday, 29 June 2017
Thursday, June 29: Missing shoe update!!
Steffi's cleaning person found the shoes in their living room -- I thought we had SCOURED that place! Apparently not....
Tuesday, June 27: Home again.
We had a last look around for those wretched sneakers but could not find them. We also saw two foxes sitting on a shed next door to their home.
Steffi made us coffee, and we said good-by to the whole family at 6:55am.
Steffi made us coffee, and we said good-by to the whole family at 6:55am.
Then it was off to Heathrow via Uber, which cost about the same as the rides that we had taken the previous years. Our driver's wife called while we were en route, and it turned out that she had cancer and was feeling poorly, so he was going home right after he delivered us. He missed the turn for Terminal 3 because I'm pretty sure he was tearing up, but it was an easy fix, and we got to the airport in plenty of time. We wished him well. So sad.
We found the VAT place easily and took cash, which was the easiest choice. No problems getting through the security checks, and we took time to have breakfast before our flight. Bob had a full English breakfast for the first time on this trip.
We had an uneventful flight on a partially full plane (we had a seat in between us!) and arrived in Philadelphia on time. The Global Entry worked beautifully, and we were out of the airport quickly. Of course, we had slow traffic on Route 476, but we were back at home by 3:30pm.
Monday, June 26: Another posh UK restaurant and the case of the missing sneakers/trainers.
We awoke in time to have coffee while the children had breakfast before walking to school; Steffi walked them there and then went on to a planned coffee at one of the homes of the parents at their school. While she was gone, we took showers and got ready for our noon reservation at Rick Stein, the restaurant that was supposed to be incredible. I also continued gathering things for our departure early the next morning.
We ubered to Rick Stein and had no problem being seated a little early. The place was empty at noon, but by 12:30, it was pretty much totally full. The food was exquisite.
The service was not so exquisite.We had to ask for a wine list rather than having one brought to us initially. We also had to pour our own water and wine on a few moments during lunch -- no one was coming by to check on us. Steffi also got the incorrect starter. The server offered to replace it for her, but she declined -- unfortuately, that ended up meaning that she had two courses with the same Indian sauce as part of her meal. And then it took a while for someone to bring us the check and then to come around with the credit card machine. She will try it again for her birthday, but I am planning to write a review for Trip Advisor listing the deficiencies in this upscale restaurant. That being said, it was a visually pleasing place along the River Thames.
Afterwards, we took a bus to Richmond to pick up some things for the evening's repast. After purchasing said things, we walked to the children's school to pick them up and then home. I was not prepared for that long a walk, so my feet suffered a bit, but we made it back and watched the movie Sing, which we all enjoyed. We took a break during the movie so that Mark could practice a bit and then go to his cello lesson with Steffi while we entertained Annie. Steffi made this simple pasta dish that was delicious -- tuna, cucumber, and penne pasta mixed with mayonnaise. Annie made us laugh so hard at dinner. I was explaining to the kids that Bob reads lips and listens in order to be able to understand what people are saying, so the kids tried to mouth things to see if he could figure out what they were trying to say. Annie took a big bite of pasta, wanted to mouth something, realized that her mouth was full of food, so covered her mouth while mouthing so that no one could see it. We all laughed so hard because she did this more than once!
Axel actually got home at a reasonable hour given that work was really hectic, and we said goodnight to the children and then enjoyed some Peller Estates ice wine with really good walnut bread and cheeses. I even put in my notes for next year to get that same bread at Marks and Spencer. We enjoyed our final time with the English B's.
Our final glitch is still unresolved: the new sneakers I bought in Copenhagen because I kept tripping on the cobblestones went missing. We looked for them in many places but could not find them -- so frustrating because I definitely was wearing them when we arrived on Friday.
Bed at midnight.
We ubered to Rick Stein and had no problem being seated a little early. The place was empty at noon, but by 12:30, it was pretty much totally full. The food was exquisite.
The service was not so exquisite.We had to ask for a wine list rather than having one brought to us initially. We also had to pour our own water and wine on a few moments during lunch -- no one was coming by to check on us. Steffi also got the incorrect starter. The server offered to replace it for her, but she declined -- unfortuately, that ended up meaning that she had two courses with the same Indian sauce as part of her meal. And then it took a while for someone to bring us the check and then to come around with the credit card machine. She will try it again for her birthday, but I am planning to write a review for Trip Advisor listing the deficiencies in this upscale restaurant. That being said, it was a visually pleasing place along the River Thames.
Axel actually got home at a reasonable hour given that work was really hectic, and we said goodnight to the children and then enjoyed some Peller Estates ice wine with really good walnut bread and cheeses. I even put in my notes for next year to get that same bread at Marks and Spencer. We enjoyed our final time with the English B's.
Our final glitch is still unresolved: the new sneakers I bought in Copenhagen because I kept tripping on the cobblestones went missing. We looked for them in many places but could not find them -- so frustrating because I definitely was wearing them when we arrived on Friday.
Bed at midnight.
Sunday, June 25: Chilling (mostly).
Today there were no plans for travel, so we chilled at home. The children had homework to do, so after breakfast, I helped Mark with his reading, and Steffi helped Annie with a rainforest project. Axel and I also walked over to the wine shop across the street, and I bought some wine for them (and us!!) to enjoy. Meanwhile, Bob was playing games with the children; these involved some sort of gladiator story, which Mark introduced so well that it must have been word for word from a movie or television show!
Because the weather was uncertain, no grilling happened. Instead, Steffi baked some delicious salmon, which we enjoyed with carrots, broccoli, spinach, and the American version of sweet potatoes (cut in wedges, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, and roasted in the oven). The meal was delicious.
Bob helped Axel water the plants in their lovely garden, and we had a light dinner and more fun with the children. They made art using pipe cleaners!
. Mark finally agreed to play his cello for us before he went to bed. Yay! We also enjoyed ice cream with Asher's chocolate-covered chocolate bites and peanut M&Ms as accompaniments. Yum!
Bed at midnight.
Because the weather was uncertain, no grilling happened. Instead, Steffi baked some delicious salmon, which we enjoyed with carrots, broccoli, spinach, and the American version of sweet potatoes (cut in wedges, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, and roasted in the oven). The meal was delicious.
Bob helped Axel water the plants in their lovely garden, and we had a light dinner and more fun with the children. They made art using pipe cleaners!
. Mark finally agreed to play his cello for us before he went to bed. Yay! We also enjoyed ice cream with Asher's chocolate-covered chocolate bites and peanut M&Ms as accompaniments. Yum!
Bed at midnight.
Wednesday, 28 June 2017
Saturday: June 24: A very busy Saturday.
We had breakfast with the English B’s before a busy day. Both children had German school at 10:00 – Bob and Axel took them. Steffi and I walked into Richmond for her singing lesson and practice.
https://youtu.be/1NPQaw-N5Vk
I also took some photos of the walk from the college into Richmond proper.
Once in town, I shopped for a light-weight dress. I met up with all except Steffi at a sandwich shop and had lunch. Then Annie had a birthday party for 3 children at their church. Bob and Axel were on for that party. Mark had a party later in the afternoon, and Steffi and I took him there. Afterwards, we had a light afternoon tea in Barnes.
We also walked by a restaurant, Rick Stein, run by a celebrity chef of the same name. Steffi talked about how difficult it was to make reservations there.
We ubered home and chatted about the evening’s plan to go into London to a Persian restaurant and queue for a table. While discussing that plan, Steffi (?) said that a friend had to give up reservations at a newish Richmond restaurant that was supposed to be really cool. As they were telling us about that place, I googled it and discovered that (1) it was on Open Table and (2) there was availability at 9:00pm for 4 people. They thought the change in plans was fine, so I booked the table, and we avoided a long ride into London and an uncertain dinner time! Old people worry about these things. And as I was looking at The Ivy (the Richmond restaurant), Steffi was checking out Rick Stein and was able to book a table for noon on Monday – we were all in foodie heaven because of our googling expertise! Such a proud moment for Steffi and me.
Jane, the babysitter, arrived at 7:00ish, and we prepared to walk into town when the skies opened up in typical British style, so we ubered to a pub since our dinner reservations weren’t until 9:00. Because of the rain causing folks to eat inside rather than outside, we got lucky and snagged a table outside on the second floor of Britannia -- the rain had stopped by then.
The “boys” told us about their “brilliant “ time at the children’s birthday party, complete with sparkling wine and beer! Seriously. So funny and so typically Axel!
We moved on to The Ivy, a happening place in Richmond. We had to wait a bit for our table – the place was packed.
Our meals were really good, the service was great, BUT ---- the bathroom was A FULL TWO STEEP FLIGHTS OF STEPS ABOVE THE RESTAURANT LEVEL!! I actually mentioned this to our server, and he said that not only were the bathrooms there but also that the kitchen was on the bathroom level, so the servers were constantly going up and down those steps. Whose ridiculous design was that??
We walked home, and I introduced Steffi to the Tieks website. She found a pair she really liked, but those flats are so expensive, and shipping isn't free to the UK. She did ponder the thought overnight, though.
Bed after midnight.
I also took some photos of the walk from the college into Richmond proper.
Once in town, I shopped for a light-weight dress. I met up with all except Steffi at a sandwich shop and had lunch. Then Annie had a birthday party for 3 children at their church. Bob and Axel were on for that party. Mark had a party later in the afternoon, and Steffi and I took him there. Afterwards, we had a light afternoon tea in Barnes.
We also walked by a restaurant, Rick Stein, run by a celebrity chef of the same name. Steffi talked about how difficult it was to make reservations there.
We ubered home and chatted about the evening’s plan to go into London to a Persian restaurant and queue for a table. While discussing that plan, Steffi (?) said that a friend had to give up reservations at a newish Richmond restaurant that was supposed to be really cool. As they were telling us about that place, I googled it and discovered that (1) it was on Open Table and (2) there was availability at 9:00pm for 4 people. They thought the change in plans was fine, so I booked the table, and we avoided a long ride into London and an uncertain dinner time! Old people worry about these things. And as I was looking at The Ivy (the Richmond restaurant), Steffi was checking out Rick Stein and was able to book a table for noon on Monday – we were all in foodie heaven because of our googling expertise! Such a proud moment for Steffi and me.
Jane, the babysitter, arrived at 7:00ish, and we prepared to walk into town when the skies opened up in typical British style, so we ubered to a pub since our dinner reservations weren’t until 9:00. Because of the rain causing folks to eat inside rather than outside, we got lucky and snagged a table outside on the second floor of Britannia -- the rain had stopped by then.
The “boys” told us about their “brilliant “ time at the children’s birthday party, complete with sparkling wine and beer! Seriously. So funny and so typically Axel!
We moved on to The Ivy, a happening place in Richmond. We had to wait a bit for our table – the place was packed.
Our meals were really good, the service was great, BUT ---- the bathroom was A FULL TWO STEEP FLIGHTS OF STEPS ABOVE THE RESTAURANT LEVEL!! I actually mentioned this to our server, and he said that not only were the bathrooms there but also that the kitchen was on the bathroom level, so the servers were constantly going up and down those steps. Whose ridiculous design was that??
We walked home, and I introduced Steffi to the Tieks website. She found a pair she really liked, but those flats are so expensive, and shipping isn't free to the UK. She did ponder the thought overnight, though.
Bed after midnight.
Sunday, 25 June 2017
Friday, June 23: From Copenhagen to Richmond.
We had a leisurely morning, having our final breakfast at the Hotel Hebron and then finalizing packing. Check-out was at 11:00am, and we then made our way to the train station to add fare to our train cards to go to the airport. The station has a few employees who stand by the self-service machines because they aren't self-serve; they are really confusing. After an elderly couple butted in line in front of me, I finally got my add-fare taken care of for both Bob and me.
We got onto the train with no trouble and made our way to the VAT Global Blue refund area of the terminal, where I discovered that I had to do this in England since it was our final point of the departure in the EU (FOR NOW!!!).
Bob sat at a bar with an IPA while I shopped the Duty Free yet again.
The plane ride was painless, and we googled where to meet the Uber driver and met up with Mohamed, who was born in Canada, lived in Germany, and now lives and works in England. He also spoke English, French, and German. Bob had now discovered a conversation-starter in a cab or a bar: "How many languages do you speak?" Bob's rejoinder: "I only know about 3/4 of one language..."
We met Steffi and the children at the door -- the kids were so cute and happy to see us! We chatted with Steffi for a while and then walked to a Japanese restaurant for sushi. Axel was still hard at work in London when we arrived, but by the time we got back from dinner, Axel was home. We chatted for a while and caught up a bit.
Bed at 11:00ish.
We got onto the train with no trouble and made our way to the VAT Global Blue refund area of the terminal, where I discovered that I had to do this in England since it was our final point of the departure in the EU (FOR NOW!!!).
 |
| On the train. |
Bob sat at a bar with an IPA while I shopped the Duty Free yet again.
The plane ride was painless, and we googled where to meet the Uber driver and met up with Mohamed, who was born in Canada, lived in Germany, and now lives and works in England. He also spoke English, French, and German. Bob had now discovered a conversation-starter in a cab or a bar: "How many languages do you speak?" Bob's rejoinder: "I only know about 3/4 of one language..."
We met Steffi and the children at the door -- the kids were so cute and happy to see us! We chatted with Steffi for a while and then walked to a Japanese restaurant for sushi. Axel was still hard at work in London when we arrived, but by the time we got back from dinner, Axel was home. We chatted for a while and caught up a bit.
Friday, 23 June 2017
Thursday, June 22: A day of Viking lore.
Today was the first day that we didn't have to set an alarm in order to go the the Embassy!! We had a leisurely breakfast and decided that we were interested in traveling to Roskilde to see the Viking Museum. The train ride was about 30 minutes, and then we took a bus to the actual museum.
The museum was close to the site of the discovery of 5 Viking ships stacked in the harbor -- actually to keep the enemy from coming into the harbor. We had a 45 minute explanation of the boats themselves as well as the myths surrounding the Vikings.
Then Bob threw Thor's hammer for a bit.
https://youtu.be/U1VhJzCNRoE
We had signed up to row in a Viking style boat, which was kind of fun but kind of weird.
It was actually fun although my should was a bit sore later.
https://youtu.be/6TarR6EEhsw
Lunch was at a restaurant on the site.
We waited a while for the bus to take us back to the train and then waited for the delayed train. We got back to Copenhagen at about 6:00.
Bob took a nap while I packed, and then we went to another brew pub for our last time in Copenhagen.
Bed really early -- I was exhausted.
The museum was close to the site of the discovery of 5 Viking ships stacked in the harbor -- actually to keep the enemy from coming into the harbor. We had a 45 minute explanation of the boats themselves as well as the myths surrounding the Vikings.
Then Bob threw Thor's hammer for a bit.
https://youtu.be/U1VhJzCNRoE
https://youtu.be/6TarR6EEhsw
Lunch was at a restaurant on the site.
Bob took a nap while I packed, and then we went to another brew pub for our last time in Copenhagen.
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