London Calling

We got back yesterday from a "brilliant" holiday break in London. This was the first time for all of us to visit the city, and Christmas was a perfect time to visit: Christmas pudding, a visit to Hamley's toy store, and a feeling of home. Perhaps it was the English language, but we felt very comfortable in the city. Especially since we will not be home for the holidays.

Landon has always wanted to ride on the double-decker buses, so this is the first thing we headed out to do. The double-deckers were everywhere -- both as city buses and tour buses. We took a tour around the city, and the weather was decent enough to get a view from the top. We saw the Tower of London, Big Ben, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace. Our tour also included a trip down the Thames to see London Bridge, the Tower Bridge and Westminster from the water.

One of Willem's highlights was a trip to the Natural History Museum. Dinosaurs galore and a full-scale blue whale really got him talking. The museums in London are all free, which is a great concept. It may be more crowded, but it was worth it to stop in for a short while. We also took the kids to the Lyric Theater to see "The Gruffalo". The performance really kept the kids' attention, and is based on one of our favorite books. We all enjoyed the audience participation and the English humor.

We visited our share of pubs, which also had a feeling of home. The kids loved the burgers. Of course, we had fish and chips and a Londoner breakfast with sausage and eggs. We enjoyed getting to know the difference between "mash" (mashed potatoes) and a "jacket" (baked potato). And the Christmas pudding that I mentioned? Well, similar to Yorkshire pudding, it's not a pudding at all. Christmas pudding (also plum pudding) is similar to a fruitcake with dried fruit such as raisins and cherries, and often moistened with alcohol such as sherry or brandy. A good Christmas treat.

Excitement around Christmas means that the kids have been hyper and lacking in sleep, so our trip wasn't all merry and jolly. We had to forgo teatime for pub fare and I had to break up a fight in the middle of Harrod's. Overall, it was good to spend time together as a family -- we will remember our short visit fondly and hope to return.

Bucking-"Hams"

So 'twas the night before Christmas, and the cookies and milk are awaiting Santa. The kids said a goodbye to our resident elf until next year and they are now in bed after opening some presents from Grandma and Pop-Pop via Skype. Merry Christmas to our friends and family near and far! We look forward to Christmas in the future when we can spend it together.