Christmas Week in Appin, Scotland

A small… well maybe large… miscommunication between Den & I meant that I thought she and her family were arriving into Scotland on the 24^th of December, when in fact it was the 23^rd of December.  How could this happen when we’d spoken about it so often??  By the time I realised this, they were at the house we’d rented for Christmas - and we were still in Aberdeen, four and a half hours away.  Not a good thing as we’d done the food shopping, and they had arrived with no food!!  Luckily our hosts fed them and gave them a bit of sustenance for breakfast.  Meanwhile, in Aberdeen we had another lovely dinner with Murdo and Mairi and retired early, so we could pick up our hire car on the dot of 8am.  It was still too dark to check over the vehicle for scratches etc, but by the time we’d loaded up the car (to the gills!) it was daylight.  It took Greg nearly half an hour to go over the car with a fine tooth comb – the excess is 1000 pounds and we’d rather not be hit with that bill.  We also had a quick detour to borrow Murdo’s GPS, as although I was SURE I’d booked one with the car they wanted to slug us a further 14 pounds a day!  The directions for finding the place were actually a bit vague but we set off for Oban, the nearest town.  We drove along listening to BBC1’s Christmas Eve programming and encountered every sort of winter weather you could imagine: strong winds, rain, light hail, heavy hail, sun, rain, sleet and snow!  Yes we actually drove through falling snow on Christmas Eve.  The kids were thrilled.  We had thought we'd pick up a late breakfast at McDonalds on our way.  It's a credit to Scotland that we only saw one Maccas on the road, and it was just after we'd finally stopped for bacon and egg rolls at a road side cafe, near to passing out from starvation (well that was only some of us, others are made of stronger stuff!).  

Near Oban I was finally able to make text contact with Den and we managed to meet up in Oban at the local Tesco’s.  We managed to find the Tesco’s, but working out to get into the car park was an added challenge!  Apparently Bill & Den found that too J Bill and Den had bought the extra things I’d texted through that we still needed (we couldn't buy everything as we knew we'd be struggling to fit the food, people and luggage into our car!) and we had a late pub lunch before heading up to the house, Cairn Lodge.  Bill and Den had managed, by a bit of a miracle, to find the place the night before in the dark – the directions we’d been given were quite vague!  We were glad to be able to follow them as the GPS announced we’d reached our destination about 3 miles out – I don’t know what we’d have done then! The house is as beautiful as the pictures on the net said it would be.  Four bedrooms – two double and two twin; four bathrooms (one of the double and one twin rooms have en-suites), there is one more shared bathroom upstairs and a further bathroom downstairs off the TV room; a large kitchen/dining/living area with gorgeous mountain views; a further small living area upstairs; and a wet room.  All spotlessly clean and beautifully set out.

The 24^th is also Rachel’s 19^th birthday, so Emma and Bella immediately set to work whipping up the cake mix we’d bought, I set to making a spanakopita and Greg prepared his Greek chicken and lamb (always a crowd pleaser!).  I had thought I’d google the spanakopita recipe to make sure I had it right, but it turns out there is no Wi-Fi at the house.  Which is kind of nice – no-one is checking their emails or Facebook, but we can’t believe how often we all want to turn to google to check something - and can’t! Or show a u-tube video for that matter :-) There is also no phone reception – apparently the mobile tower blew down in a storm the week before Christmas.  So we are quite isolated. No wonder I had trouble getting in touch with Den by phone! Oban, the nearest big town, is 10 miles away (the Poms still use miles for distance but litres for petrol, it’s very confusing!).  We had a lovely birthday dinner and I think Rachel really enjoyed it.  She’s been away from her family for a few months studying near London and they are enjoying being together again! The only downside was that the underfloor heating and the radiators did not appear to be working.  Luckily there is a wood stove in the main area, but it was pretty chilly at bed time.  And no hot water!

The next morning was Christmas!  Still no heating or hot water, so Bill and Den drove down the road to our hosts who popped up and got it going.  Apparently it's an issue with mice and the boiler...! We were all thrilled to have a hot shower!  Greg made us all a full English breakfast – bacon, poached eggs, mushrooms, baked beans, sausages and toast, which was delicious.   We all enjoyed a glass of bubbles (with OJ for the younger members) too.  Liam donned his Santa’s helper hat and handed out the presents one at a time.  We’d each bought a gift for everyone in the other family, plus we all had gifts for each other, so it was lovely.  The kids also had a big bag of goodies from Murdo and Mairi which they just loved.  Those guys have really spoiled us! We immediately hung the tartan Merry Christmas banner – that will join our treasured Christmas decorations at home!  The hosts had set up a lovely tree with decorations for us so it all felt very festive.  Rachel was playing carols on her laptop!  The plan was to then have a very late lunch/early dinner.  We lounged around contributing to the (very hard) puzzle set out on the table; read, napped, watched TV and generally had a very relaxing day.   We started with smoked salmon and fried bread. Greg had prepped the gamon the night before (not being able to purchase a Christmas ham was a surprise for us – the Scots do gamon, which you can buy smoked or unsmoked, but not leg ham!) – luckily we had quickly watched the you tube video back in Aberdeen (although we did think we’d re-watch it for tips, but due to the lack of Wi-Fi, couldn’t!) so we knew it had to be soaked, or at least cooked in water first, then roasted, and allowed to sit overnight, before the glaze is added and a final bake.  We didn't have cloves – I was after a small sachet, not a full jar, so didn't get them in Aberdeen and they were sold out in Oban! – but Greg whipped up a lovely glaze with honey and marmalade. We also had a turkey crown, baked veggies and brussel sprouts tossed with bacon.  Greg made one of his special gravies and it was an absolutely delicious meal.  We finished with Den’s home-made pudding, which had come all the way from WA, and was extra special because of that J Oh, and the weather?  A bit wet, and no actual snow, but there was snow on the mountains we could see outside the windows – the closest we've ever been to snow on Christmas Day!  It made the carols seem very appropriate! The only downside was that the heating went from not working to being on turbo –charge.  It was 26.6 degrees on the thermometer, and with the oven on, it was HOT in the living room – we opened windows and I even had a t-shirt on!!  We worried that the boiler might explode during the night but it seems to have settled down to a steady 20 degrees. 

On Boxing Day we decided to set off on walk around the loch.  Our host popped in to check on the heating and gave us directions, which as expected were a bit vague – “head down to the gates, ignore the ‘private’ sign, head off to the right and walk around the loch until you see the bridge which will bring you back to the road – it should take you about 2 hours”.  It was a very mild day with occasional quick showers of rain, so we headed off with some fruit, biscuits and water around 11.30.  We had a great time, saw quite a few stags and deer, took lots of photos and more than a few wrong turns – we knew the directions were too easy to be true! – and three and half hours later, emerged onto the road feeling that we’d earned a drink or two!  Our early dinner was pumpkin soup, made of all the left over roast veggies, with hot baps.  And a bit of left over pudding for dessert.  It’s so good that the kids don’t like pudding!  Den and I got the TV room to ourselves and watched “Brokeback Mountain”, a movie neither of us had seen.

It rained steadily all night and we woke on the 27^th to find the loch had spread, and was now quite visible from our back door!  Greg served the left over smoked salmon with scrambled eggs.  Yum!  We went down to the Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary which is just down the road.  You can buy tickets on line for 40% off but as we can’t access the internet we thought we’d ask very nicely if they’d give us that rate anyway… and they said yes, which was great!  It’s not a huge place and they specialise in seal and otter rehabilitation.  We saw the seal feeding – the seals are adorable – and were delighted to find out that our tickets are valid for six days, so we can call in another time to take in the otter feeding.  Thank goodness, as we couldn't see an otter to save ourselves.  Maybe they were hiding in the rain!  Onto Oban to stock up on supplies, including some more mulled wine.  Rachel, who really doesn't drink alcohol, said she’d really enjoyed warming her hands on cups of mulled wine while touring Europe.  Cheeky Liam quipped “Mum really enjoys drinking it!”  Greg bought Scottish mussels to make pasta with spicy mussels.  Unfortunately half the quantity he bought didn't close so he turfed them, so slightly less mussels than expected – still delicious.  We’re lucky he’s such a great cook!

The next day we were up early to go out and about – this area is full of history!  Firstly we drove into Appin itself and saw the lovely “Stalker” castle (apparently used in the Monty Python movie ‘The Holy Grail’) which still looked stunning despite the very grey sky.  It’s on an island, and privately owned, or we would have visited in a shot! Onto Glencoe, where we looked out for any stray Campbells! I’d read the very sad story of the Macdonald massacre as we drove – the Campbell’s had billeted with the Macdonalds of Glencoe and after sharing their hospitality attempted to murder the entire extended family in the middle of the night, on order from the English to subdue the Scottish clans, an atrocity that has never been forgotten.  In fact, we called Wendy & John (Greg’s parents) on our way and on hearing we were heading for Glencoe, John said “Look out for those Campbells!”  Never mind that it was 320 odd years ago.  The Scots have  long memories! Bella has personally decided that she does not like the Campbells.  So Campbells, be warned!  We went for a walk around the visitors centre and enjoyed the vista of the Glencoe mountains, and made it back to the car just as the skies opened.  We called into the nearby ski field opposite Kings House.  We had thought we might go on the ski lift to look at the view but it was raining too hard (which quickly turned to sleet, then snow!) so the kids threw a few snowballs while the adults huddled under the small shelter offered by the boot lid of Bill & Den’s hire car!  At Tyndrum we turned right to head back into Oban, and visited Dunollie Castle.  It was very, very cold, grey and wet by the time we arrived, and although the notice at the castle said it was open, it was closed up tightly!  We squished our way up the very muddy and slippery path (only Liam managed to have a slide though!) to look at the ruins of the castle – it was fenced off for repairs, so we could only see the exterior. The brooch of Robert the Bruce, which Greg was very keen to see, is held at the MacDougall house adjacent to the castle – but that was also closed.  We moved onto Dunstaffnage Castle but it was raining very hard and we all decided it was a good decision to wait until the next day.  We were all pretty wet and cold and mulled wine was calling!  That night we had a turkey roast again, as Bill had picked up a whole Turkey at Tescos on Christmas Eve for just 5 pounds (marked down from 35 pounds).  Greg again made another wonderful gravy – he is the king of sauces!

On the 29^th, the following day, we made a slightly later start but reached the Sea Life Centre just in time to see the otters fed.  They are just gorgeous (Canadian Otters, not Scottish, as the local otters are nocturnal so don’t make for good exhibits!) and we were glad we made the effort to see them.  Even gladder when the sky cleared up.  A day without rain.  Yay!  Back to Dunstaffnage Castle which is well worth the visit (even if it is owned by Campbells).  We also tried Dunollie again but it is closed on a Sunday during the Winter months (we should have remembered that from the day before!).  Greg was not destined to see that brooch!  We had a late lunch at the Victoria Hotel on the Oban waterfront.  The chef apparently won Scottish Chef of the Year two years ago and we felt his reputation was deserved! The hotel had free Wi-Fi and the staff laughed at us all catching up quickly on email and Facebook!  I managed to book our accommodation in Athens and our flights to Turkey.  We had thought we’d travel by ferry but it appears that the ferry from Rhodes to Marmaris doesn’t run over December/January… so now we are flying into Istanbul.  Our last stop was Barcaldine Castle, which turns out to be closed to the public – you can rent it out for weddings if you want too!  It didn’t stop me taking a few photos.  Chicken curry for dinner, although we were all still quite full from lunch.. It’s amazing how much food you can eat when you put your mind to it!

Our last full day in the house we drove south, through Oban to Kilmartin Glen, apparently home to over 350 ancient monuments!  The kids found the road very winding (it was a bit) and both Bella and Emma felt a bit crook by the time we reached Carnassarie Castle – but they cheered up as we all had fun exploring the castle.  The top ramparts where challenging for people not keen on heights – like Bill, Den & I – but the view was amazing.  It started to rain as we left and moved onto Kilmartin.  Unfortunately the museum was closed until 1 March, but we did see the church, standing stones and some of the burial cairns.  We also visited the stone circle at Temple Wood.  Thousands of years old!  They look so impressive.  The ground was incredibly soggy due to all the rain, we were all very muddy.  We had a car park picnic of turkey sandwiches before moving onto the ruins of Dunadd Fort.  The brochures told us this was one of the most significant monuments in the whole of Scotland, and the views from the top were spectacular.  It was quite treacherous getting up and down due to the muddy, slippery conditions, and the wind was bitter – I think it’s the coldest we’ve felt since we’ve been in Scotland!  There was more to see but that required more driving, but the kids had had enough, so we headed back to Oban to buy the ingredients for dinner (steak with mushroom risotto) and back to the house.

We’ve had a wonderful time here.  I wish I’d taken some photos of Oban itself as it’s a lovely port town!  The house has been great and sharing Christmas with the Curries as much fun as we’d hoped it would be!  Tomorrow we head back to Aberdeen (hopefully via the local Priory ruins, if I can convince Greg to make the 10 mile detour!) and New Year’s Eve with Mairi and Murdo!

Loving the Granite City!

We arrived into Aberdeen to be met by Greg's cousin Murdo.  We met Murdo and his wife Mairi nearly 19 years ago when they were in Darwin visiting John and Wendy; we immediately like them and have corresponded mainly with Christmas cards ever since - they probably never imagined they'd be entertaining us all these years later!  It was just lovely to see them both and to meet their two lovely teenagers, Megan and Angus.  (Angus's facial hair impressed Liam greatly, as he is not yet 15!) We were relieved to find that the weather in Aberdeen has been quite mild, by their standards; so the downside of that is that snow at Christmas is not looking too likely....

Murdo has very generously taken some leave and put himself at our disposal, so the next day he took us to see the wonderful ruins of Dunnottar Castle; a quite spectacular setting on the side of the cliff!  We had a good taste of Scottish winter weather too, as it was a bit overcast as we set out, started raining when we were walking into the castle then a bit of a strong wind sprung up; very refreshing!!  Our next stop was Crathes Estate, but unfortunately the house was closed - we  were able to brave the weather and wander through the gardens, which would be just gorgeous in spring and summer.  Bella saw a paddock of black faced sheep and wandered down to them, thinking she'd call them over to her, but they firstly trotted, then galloped away from her... a sheep whisper she is not!
The following morning we decided we should really explore around the city itself, as our hotel is right in the centre of town, near the port.  We discovered that Aberdeen is a really historic city and has really been pivotal in Scottish history.  The granite that a lot of the old buildings were built from is local, hence the city's name, and while it can look grey and a bit dour when it's raining, when the sun comes out they look imposing and beautiful.  Mairi collected us after lunch and took us for a drive down to the coast, where we were excited to see lots of dolphins frolicking around.  So we tried very hard to get some photos of them, but it was a challenge, because they were very, very quick, and it was extremely windy and cold!  It turns out that Mairi is an avid photographer and one who has a much better understanding of her camera than I do (she has inspired me to do less stuff on "auto"!) and has taken some gorgeous photos.  Mairi let Liam loose with her camera which he loved, and he was snapping away - between the two of us we managed to get lots of photos of the sea with the odd splash showing a dolphin had been there!

It was lovely to see the blue sky but man, it was cold.  We tried to stop in at a nearby farm which has animals for the kids to interact with, but they'd closed early because it was so cold!  So much for tough locals! Mairi was not impressed with their slackness!  She also took us down to visit the little fishing village of Footdee, locally known at "Fittie", which has some gorgeous old stone houses and very quaint and eccentric sheds - some are for storage by the house owners but some are clearly lived in, and they are very tiny!  We chatted to one of the home owners who said her house was quite cold in the winter as the stone walls have no insulation, but she loves living there.  Mairi shouted us a warm drink at a nearby beachside cafe - we really needed to warm up!  It was the shortest day of the year, and sure enough, it was quite dark by 3.30pm.  That night Murdo and Mairi cooked haggis for us.  I didn't miss out, there is a veggie version too!  We really enjoyed trying something that is special to Scotland, and we were grateful that they went to the effort to do this for us when it's not even Robbie Burns Day!  Greg got to stab the meat haggis, which impressively split open, and I got to do the veggie one (not as spectacular!).  Apparently they tasted quite different - well as you'd expect I suppose, as one has no meat in it!
Yesterday we had the pleasure of both Murdo and Mairi's company - they kindly took two cars so we could all go out sightseeing. The girls were in Mairi's car, and the boys in Murdo's car, but half way through Liam swapped cars, finding the dad's conversations on the environment heavy going - he knew he'd get some laughs with Mairi!  They took us to Tolquhon Castle.  Yes, I had let on to Murdo how much Liam and I love castles.  Bella and Greg are feeling like they've seen enough, but we adore them. Imagining what life was like when the castles were lived in!  I love it!  Tolquhon was also closed, however the side gate was open ... so feeling a bit naughty we walked in, fully expecting one of the neighbours to come out and give us a yell at which point we'd scoot off, but we made it all the way through with no trouble!  It was a really just a gorgeous home with a castle-like look, but not designed with serious fortifications.   It was a really lovely winter's day and the countryside looked so beautiful! Onto Haddo House, which again is closed for winter, but we were able to walk around the huge gardens and I was thrilled to get a photo of a robin redbreast who hopped around us quite happily for some time. One of the huge pine trees had a plaque saying it had been planted by Queen Victoria in 1857!  Despite the blue sky it was getting brisker by the second and we were all very grateful to grab some home made soup in the cafe on site.  We'd seen a sort of Stonehenge like place in the brochures,"Easter Aquthorthie", which neither Murdo or Mairi had ever visited, and despite it not showing up on the GPS they managed to navigate us to there.  And my goodness it was blowing a gale on those rocks.  Absolutely bloody freezing!  A few quick photos and it was time to move on!

Murdo and Greg thought it was time to head home but Mairi had the idea that we should have chips at Stonehaven - "The Bay" fish and chip shop claims to be the best in the UK.  Well, the chips were absolutely delicious.  They were piping hot too, it was lovely to get their warmth on our cold fingers!  Mairi took the kids into "Aunty Betty's", next door, for some lollies... they sell ice cream and a few tough Scots where eating it, but it was way too cold for us!  Back at the house, cousins Ian, Mairi and Margaret popped into meet us.  It's very exciting to meet more family!
Today is our last full day in Aberdeen.  Greg and I were up at 7am and did the bulk of our Christmas food shopping at the local Morrisons supermarket.  We had way too much to carry home so borrowed one of the trolleys (don't worry, Greg took it back, he is very good like that!) to get it back to the hotel.  I said I felt like long grassers, walking along in the dark with our shopping trolley full of bags!  I had to take a photo! Once the sun had come up (which is after 9am!) I went to do some last minute Christmas shopping to get some little gifts for the kids.  Nothing much, as this trip is their main gift and they appreciate that; I also had to be conscious of size and weight.  I can't quite imagine how we are going to fit everything into the car, it will be a challenge!!  Murdo & Mairi have loaned us some freezer bags and a small esky to keep the cold stuff cold.  No fridge in this room!

We've had the most wonderful time with Murdo and Mairi and really appreciate their amazing generosity in looking after us (especially as it's so close to Christmas).  Our favourite times on this trip have been when we've been with friends or family, who have made us so welcome, and we feel very special and very grateful!  Thank you all!

Three busy days in London..

It’s been three days since I've last had a chance to write on my blog.  We've been flat out in London!  So I’ll try to catch you up on all we've been doing in London.

On Monday we started our day trying to find the East Coast Rail office at Charing Cross Station.  I’d booked our tickets and wanted to pick them up in plenty of time, but it turns out the office is actually in Kings Cross Station, which we’d passed through on our way to Charing Cross.  Kings Cross is only three stops from Seven Sisters tube, where we were staying, so that suited us better anyway (with our backpacks and extensive hand luggage, its hard work moving around!!).  As we were at Charing Cross anyway we decided to walk to the London Eye and view London from up high.  It was very windy and drizzling so London looked very grey, but as it wasn't hard rain we could see the views reasonably well.  (I was disappointed to see that the weather prediction was for grey skies and rain until Thursday, and it has proved to be the case.  As I write this we are on the train to Aberdeen and the sun is shining brightly! Just to show us it can happen!)  From the Eye we walked to Westminster and bought a map, so we could find the place I’d googled for “Best value Full English breakfast in London” – the Regency Cafe.  It was quite a walk and actually very near lunch time when we found it, but luckily they do breakfast all day.  It was a very interesting place – absolutely packed, and serving all the English faves of egg and chips or beans and chips; the full English was 5.50 pounds including toast and coffee or tea.  You can’t get a table first – as we discovered when poor Liam tried to sit in a vacant seat, the guy behind the counter sang out in a voice that could be heard across a football ground: “ORDER FIRST YOUNG MAN!”  We did, and were able to find a table – it’s not the sort of place you linger in once you've eaten!  The man with the formidable voice bellows out the orders as they are ready for collection: “Steak and Kidney! Egg and chips!” And there is no chance of missing when your order is ready.  It was decent food and provided a dry and warm spot to sit, so we enjoyed it.  Greg felt it didn't quite live up to full English breakfasts he remembered from long ago, but it was OK.  From there we walked to Buckingham Palace – about half an hour away, then onto Leicester Square (about another 20 minutes walking), all in a drizzling rain but at least the annoying wind (which blows umbrellas inside out!) eased off a little.  In Leicester Square we re-visited the pub we worked in, The Imperial, in Leicester St.  It appeared pretty much unchanged.  The street is now walking only, and there are tables and chairs outside, but otherwise it was exactly how we remembered it.  No Aussies at the bar (although Susie said there had been when she last visited with Di last November) but they served a very warming mulled wine which I enjoyed.  The governor had only been in the pub a year and was a bit shocked to hear we’d worked in the pub in 1986  - “That was a long time ago!”.  Well yes, it was, thanks for pointing that out!  Leicester Square itself looked completely different.  I thought I’d feel like I knew my way around like I did when we lived there, but it felt very foreign.  Time to head to Trafalgar Square and visit the National Gallery.  We spent hours here on our days off back in 1986, but on Monday we just hit the highlights of the Gallery as the kids were buggered from our full on zoo day the day before.  At 6pm we met up with Susie and Brian at Spitalfields  for pizza.  They had a voucher for a place that does two pizzas for 10 quid on a Monday, it was a bargain and a great meal, and lovely to spend some more time with Susie and Brian!  After dinner the kids were desperate to see “Catching Fire” (everyone they know has seen it, you may not believe it but apparently we were the last known people in the Western World to have missed out) so we headed back to the West End – but were too late for the session.  I thought it was a good opportunity (despite the persistent rain, which was more than just a drizzle by this point) to walk up through Piccadilly to Regent and Bond St and admire the Christmas lights and shop windows.  It was quite a long walk on a day when we’d already walked quite a bit, and the lights and windows were not as amazing as I’d assured everyone they would be.  Maybe it was just the rain, but even I was disappointed.  I remembered it being so festive when we lived in London… but as we all know, that was a very long time ago!  The kids did enjoy seeing Selfridges as they’d watched the TV show of the same name, but we didn't bother going in – we took the tube home.

Tuesday dawned grey and drizzling.  I tried to assure the kids that London actually does get sunshine and when it does it looks lovely, but around the Seven Sisters area it’s pretty grim and grotty and the rain doesn't help.  We had a later start to the day because we all felt a bit weary.  Eventually we got ourselves organised and out the door to the British Museum.  We managed to walk in the back door so missed the opportunity to get an audio guide but we had a map and saw quite a bit.  It’s a huge building and we didn't have the time or inclination to see everything, but Greg made sure the kids saw the highlights before we walked to Tottenham High Street to see “Catching Fire”.  At last!  Greg went back to the museum while Bella, Liam and I enjoyed the movie (although as always the book was better!).  Greg met us when the movie ended and we went to Bethnal Green to meet Susie and Brian.  They had booked tickets to a Christmas Panto in Hackney as a gift to us, and as I’d never seen a Christmas panto I was thrilled.  None of us knew quite what to expect, and subsequently we were quite blown away – it was such a spectacle, with fabulous music, singing, costumes and acting, we all absolutely loved it.  An unexpected highlight was having our names read out from the stage!  We hollered and hooted for all we were worth!  I’d see one again in a heart beat, it was so wonderful.  We left the theatre and Susie led us around the back – yes, she knew one of the main cast members, and had organised for us to get back stage!  He was delightful and obviously adores Susie, as he’d bought glasses, wine and soft drink to enjoy in his dressing room – we felt extremely special.  We finished the evening with dinner in a nearby Turkish restaurant.  It was a fabulous evening!  We are so blessed to have some really wonderful friends in our lives.  We were very sad to say goodbye to Susie and Brian. Come and visit us guys!!

Yesterday we had our usual drama posting stuff home.  Honestly I wish we could avoid buying anything – our packs are full (winter stuff takes up so much room!) so any souvenirs we buy we have to send home.  I honestly thought it would be easier from the UK, mainly because they all speak English, so encountering difficulties was unexpected.  Firstly they didn’t have any boxes left – due to Xmas I suppose – and no padded envelopes bigger than A4 (Liam  has picked up one of those square calendars) or tubes (for posters).  So we had to find another post office that had a box.  Then they said we’d have to pay 70 quid.  The first post office had quoted us 58 pounds so we went all the way back there (with our box and assorted stuff) to find that due to the size of the box (the only one available) we’d moved up a level and it was actually going to cost us 75 pounds.  Don’t try and work out the conversion rate.  It’s very depressing.  Anyway what choice did we have??  Back to Leicester Square to the half price tickets place to buy tickets to see “Wicked”. There are about 20 places claiming to be the original and authentic half price ticket place, but we went to the one in the square that has been there for years, which Susie recommended to us.  We paid 25 pound each for our tickets.  We walked through Covent Garden and took the tube from Holburn to Bank, where we could walk to Monument (and we actually saw the Monument, which is to remember the Great Fire of London – I don’t think we saw that all those years ago) and walked on the river bank path to London Bridge and the Tower of London.  We ate our lunch on the banks of the Thames.  It was still grey, but not raining, and was possibly the coldest day we’d had in London.  Sitting there shivering eating our lunch reminded me of huddling near the Arc De Triumph last week!  It was very blustery!  We didn't go into the Tower of London but walked around it and read all the info on the building.  The Beefeaters winter uniform is a sombre navy coat, no flashes of scarlet to liven it up!  Onto Knightsbridge and the V & A museum (or Victoria and Albert to give it the full name) to admire amazing jewellery, stained glass, wrought iron, statues and fashion – it’s a very eclectic mix at the V & A!  We walked up the street to Harrods, and went in to admire how incredibly steep the prices were for even the most basic items!  Onto the tube again to Victoria station, where we alighted to find an Indian restaurant for dinner.  I thought it was a bad omen that there was a photo of John and Jeanette Howard on the wall – apparently they visited the “Buckingham Balti House” last year – but the food was good.  (Not hot though even though I asked for hot which was disappointing.  So if you go there ask for plenty of chilli!) Final stop for the day was the Apollo Theatre to watch “Wicked”.  I’d seen the show before and still really enjoyed it.  Bella and Liam loved it.  Greg was underwhelmed.  He didn’t think much of the score or the plot.  He said none of the songs would be hits, but in fact “Defying Gravity” was in the charts for quite a while…

So this morning it was our usual rush to get packed, cleaned up, make sure we didn’t forget anything (we are getting better on this point!) and squeeze our way with all our luggage onto the tube.  You can see the fear on people’s faces as we crowd near them J  We farewelled London and it’s blue skies, now it’s onto Aberdeen!

Last days in Paris, and on the Eurostar!

On our last full day in Paris we explored around our own backyard, going up to Sacre Coeur church.  They sky was blue and clear (and cold - I'm wearing full thermals these days!), there was also plenty of clouds and it was a bit smoggy, so no great views.  We resisted the temptation to have our portrait drawn in Montmartre. Well Greg did anyway.  I was close to succumbing, but we moved on!  I had to drag Liam from the young French African guy who was trying to tie a friendship string around his wrist - another scam! - they always like to prey on the people they perceive as more vulnerable.  But he escaped unscathed!  We wandered through Pigalle to the Anvers metro station and down to the Marais to visit the Musee Carnavalet, one of those rare things in Paris, a free museum!  It is the history of Paris from its origins to present day, and we possibly would have got more from the tour if I could read more than the odd word of French.  And I thought my reading was better than my speaking!  Even Greg, with his fluent Franglaise (yes, he corrected me, it was not Frenglish!) could not translate the descriptions!  There was some nice art, and interesting things like an entire art deco room complete with mosaic floor.  We took the metro from St Pauls to the Tuileries for our picnic lunch.  As we ate, shivering, even Greg admitted to feeling a bit cold! Oh l'horreur!
Our plan was to visit the Musee de L'Orangerie and we had bought a combo ticket at the Musee D'Orsay the other day.  Just as well we did, as there was an enormous queue - even for those who had tickets!  This was because there was a temporary exhibition on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.  It was PACKED so we squeezed though and then enjoyed the rest of the permanent exhibition with a bit more room to move.  Our last stop for the day was the Christmas markets on the Champs Elysee, and of course my first stop was to buy some vin chaud (aka mulled wine, aka ghulewien) - well I was damn cold and I needed to warm up!  We bought dinner here too.  I opted for l'onion soup, and it was pretty good for a street stall meal!
Yesterday dawned sunny and clear.  Bella and I went down to the Post Office with a pile of rubbish - oops, I mean souvenirs - and some unneeded clothing.  Bella has promised to pay more attention to my packing suggestions in future.  It's not all about looking cute you know!  I won't comment on how much it cost to post, only to note that it makes the souvenirs a LOT more costly than they initially appeared...back at the apartment, we loaded up our packs and set off to the Metro.  We seriously under estimated how tough it would be to walk down hill all laden up to the Abbess Metro, transfer to Pigalle, then onto Paris Nord, walking about 5kms, up and down a few stairs, finally reaching the Eurostar check in - we were very hot and sweaty!  A reminder of Darwin!! It was a big relief to get onto the Eurostar train (even though we were all dreading lugging all our stuff again the other end).   The trip was very quick and I tried not to feel too panicky when we were in the actual tunnel.  I'm sure they fix any leaks straight away, and how unlucky would we be to be in the first train to be drowned in the tunnel??  I'm really not keen on being under all that water.  Anyway we survived :-)
And arrived into a grey and drizzling London.  And that is all we have to look forward too according to the weather forecast!  We had bought our "oyster" train tickets (which you have to put credit onto as you go) on the Eurostar so only had to load up again, and trek our way through the odd few kilometres to finally reach the Victoria line underground, to go three stops to the Seven Sisters, and then walk another km or so to reach our London accommodation.  What a relief to get here!  The apartment is clean and tidy, with two bedrooms and a living area/kitchen.  The area is interesting - we are in Beaconsfield Road in Haringey in North London.  It appears to be a largely Jamaican area and Greg was amazed to find no less than 9 hairdressers between our house and the tube station!!  No problem if Bella or I want to get our hair straightened or braided!
We unpacked and had showers and went to the South Tottenham Train station so we could meet up with our friends Susie and Brian.  Greg & I met Susie and Brian when we worked at the Imperial pub in Leicester St back in 1986!  Susie came to visit us a long time ago - before Lachie came along! - and we have kept in semi-regular contact ever since, with Susie making each of the kids gorgeous patchwork quilts to celebrate their births, which we have cherished.  We had a lovely night with lots of laughs and great food and wine!
Today Bella, Liam and I went to the London Zoo - the world's oldest scientific zoo.  We got there just after 10am, when it opened, and went flat out until it closed at 4pm - when we hadn't seen it all, but managed to see everything we'd judged MUST be seen. We were watching the penguin show when the announcer said that anyone who got poo-ed on by the seagulls circling overhead had to come forward and get a sticker which said "I was poo-ed on at the Zoo" - she'd barely said the words when Bella shrieked.  Yes, she had been the recipient of a decent glob of seagull shit. She was not impressed, especially at Liam and I laughed (secretly thrilled it wasn't us!).  Bella got her sticker though! It was raining on and off all day, but it didn't affect our enjoyment of the day. We loved seeing sloths in action (slow mo, of course!), armadillos, otters, and lots of cheeky monkeys. We spent a little bit of time at the Camden markets before tubing back to North London.  Back at the house, Greg had made us pasta with mussels - delicious!

Exploring Paris

The day after our bike tour dawned clear and bright - again, how lucky! - but we had a late start to the day.  Firstly Liam was feeling worse.  Not wanting to go into detail about his symptoms (but if he was writing, he would regal you with all the nitty gritty!!) Greg thought he should go to a doctor.  I thought we'd try the easier (and cheaper) option first, visiting our local pharmacie.  One thing that has amazed us as we travel through Europe, is how many chemist shops there are.  You are lucky to go 500m without running into one.  I can only think of about half a dozen in Darwin.  How do they all  make money we wonder?  Anyway, Greg and Liam did their pantomime (accompanied by Greg's excellent Frenglish - his own creation!) and came back to the apartment with an assortment of drugs which will hopefully make him feel better.  Our other delay was not having any internet access.  Ainslie needed us to transfer some of her money to her travel card account (something she apparently can't do without her mobile so needed our help) which would have been a snap but suddenly the internet stopped working.  We tried re-setting it (in the end they had to get a tech guy to come over!) and stuffed around before heading out to use and internet cafe near the Metro.
Finally!  Off to the Musee D'Orsay.  This is one of our favourite museums - a gorgeous setting and lots of fabulous impressionist artworks to admire.  I only wish you could take photos.  Afterwards we went to Notre Dame.  Liam didn't feel well enough to climb up, which was just as well, as the ticket sales to get to the top finish at 4pm during winter and it was 4.15!  Bella and Liam marvelled at how much like the movie (read cartoon!) it was.  We wandered off to the Jewish area of the Marais to have what Fat Tyre claimed to be the best Falafel in Paris.  L'as Du Falaffel, and it was very good - as good as any we'd had in Israel!  Greg and I also had a Maccabee (Israeli) beer to go with it!
Yesterday Greg spent working on the report.  I know you are all looking forward to hearing the news that the damn thing is finished!! We are!  Bella, Liam and I went off to l"Opera metro to go to Galleries Lafayette to check out the gorgeous Christmas windows.  We all enjoyed them, then we warmed up inside the huge department store.  Bella felt as if the assistants where looking at us disdainfully as if we couldn't afford a single thing in there.  Which is actually quite true!  We went onto H&M so that Bella could actually buy something (although she is very sad at how quickly her money is disappearing!).  I took them through the streets to show them the place Greg and I stayed in last time we visited Paris which was nearby.  I was a little worried that we'd taken a wrong turn, but then I saw the little hardware store we used to fix the broken bedroom rail, and found it!
We stopped at Monoprix to buy some toothpaste too.  When you travel with people you discover some interesting idiosyncrasies. Greg complains about the amount of toiletries Bella and I have (admittedly, we probably could have culled them a little more, but honestly I'm using everything I bought!) but he draws the line at having excessive toothpaste.  So much so that we have to wait until we have squeezed out every possible drop before we are allowed to buy another one.  I made the call that our current tube is on the way out... very risque!

Our next stop was the Arc De Triumph. We'd seen it in the distance on the bike tour but Bella wanted to see it up close and personal.  We stopped and had our packed lunch in a weak bit of sunshine.  I had my kindle with me and finished reading "Catching Fire" to the kids.  So far they've had me read "Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire" while we've been driving to entertain them. We were so close to the end that we ignored the cold and huddled together for the final chapter!  We were constantly interrupted  by so called deaf and dumb Gypsies (who ask, "do you speak English?") with their petitions.  Our bike guide had warned us against this scam which is one of many being perpetrated around the city- it annoys the hell out of the locals and is not much fun for the tourists that fall for it, who end up being robbed or ripped off.  We visited several shops on the Champs Elysee to warm up on our way back to the metro.  We had a time limit - I had a hair dressing appointment!  Yes, it really has been a month since my last visit! I'd found a hairdresser in Pigalle.  Of course they didn't speak English and I lack Greg's Frenglish skills, but I managed to make myself understood.  I was very happy with the end result.  I felt I looked a little like Catherine Deneuve, that famous French actress!  Just a little bit.