[I wrote this posting on the plane leaving London; it's taken us a couple of days in Doha to get up to speed and we're not quite there yet - the photos will follow. In the meantime, here's something to catch everyone up:]
**Photos are in - scroll down!**
The kids have been great travelers – they trooped through the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia airports and were wonderful on board the planes. They were under orders to go to sleep ASAP on the flight to London and that actually worked, as well as I could possibly have expected. The hours we slept were inversely proportional to age, which is better than the opposite.
Upon arrival in London, it got a little rough. We are all (IMHO) excellent travelers, but the jet lag was harsh. A bag fell on my foot while waiting for the currency exchange, no biggie, but it injured a blood vessel and left a huge bruise on the top of my foot. We made it to the hotel before noon but the room wasn’t ready till 3:00 so we wandered around in a fog for a few hours. I think we saw Buckingham Palace but I don’t remember what it looked like. If you ask the kids I think they’ll tell you we took them on a forced march for EVER and all they remember is that when it was over they got to go to the hotel pool. In the evening I went to bed early with A, and Dad took the opportunity to adventure out with the boys, catching the first double-decker bus that came by, hopping off whenever they found someplace interesting, and then hopping on the next one that came by heading in vaguely the correct direction. They continued with that plan until they stumbled upon the hotel a couple of hours later, having seen quite a bit of the city. All of the boys thought this quite an adventure.
Tuesday was much more interesting. We went to the National Museum and saw the Elgin Marbles, Rosetta Stone and Egypt exhibit, then did some more wandering around the city. The boys enjoyed the museum but it became clear that the only museum A had any interest in would have to feature the rich world of fashion ("Where are the dresses Mommy?"). And by the end of the day even that was beyond her. We did some more wandering around and found our way to Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. The surprise highlight of the day was Westminster – I got the boys in by promising they would see the graves of the knights. It turns out most of the tombs there (and there are a lot) are not so glamorous, but at the end of the visit the choir began their rehearsal for the Evensong service. The sound was so beautiful, even with the stops and starts, we didn't want to leave. C was enchanted. He would not move – he just wanted to sit and listen to the music. The visit was transformed from a tourist exhibit to a meaningful experience, if that makes sense.
I guess we knew this going in, but everything in London is unbelievably expensive. I look at the menus and see prices I would expect in the big city, then realize that’s in pounds – it’s over double once you do the conversion. Holy smokes. We went out for dinner at a neighborhood pub and the kids ate $9 bowls of plain pasta noodles.
We continued to gather momentum Wednesday with our most ambitious day – King’s Cross station, the London Eye, and the Tower of London – and knocked it out of the park. Awesome. You can see the pictures of King’s Cross Station; we walked right past the Cambridge Express to get to Platform 9 ¾. Here’s what it looked like.
London Eye was really cool and we all had fun...
...but my favorite part was walking past the buskers in Jubilee Park.
And we saved the best for last – the Tower of London. C’s favorite part of London was seeing the Crown Jewels; J’s favorite part was watching a pair of knights in full armor duel.
As I said, I think the layover will help us acclimate in some surprising ways. For one thing, we are now really ready for the desert. London was cold and pouring rain for the majority of our visit. We have agreed that next time we long for wet weather we will remember how disagreeable it really is.
The second adjustment was a surprise. Our hotel turned out to be located in a predominantly Middle-Eastern neighborhood – I called it “Little Lebanon.” Most signs were in Arabic, hookah bars left and right, women in veils and burkas, you get the idea. I ate two Middle Eastern dinners but failed to get a proper fish & chips. When we get to Doha I’ll be looking for another lamb tajine with prunes and almonds – delicious.
And I don’t think I’ll have any trouble with dress code in the Middle East. I packed summer clothes for London – shorts and t-shirts – and felt uncomfortably exposed. Outside our family, I didn’t see another person wearing shorts (check the Westminster photo for proof!). Long pants, wool sweaters, even a puffy winter jacket, but not another single pair of shorts. Maybe they show skin in Paris, but apparently not in London. I guess it’s better I learn that lesson in a Western culture. I don’t care so much what I wear – I’d rather just blend in.
Now we’re on the plane to Bahrain (a quick hop from there to Doha), and I gotta tell ya, British Airways Club Class is the way to fly. Yes, another glass of wine would be lovely. A chocolate? Super. The boys agree – six hours of PG-13 movies, TV, and videogames. They made sure they were sitting together and not next to a parent, to enhance their viewing pleasure. "A" wanted to sit next to her Daddy, a decision I wholeheartedly support. Not that anyone can get her to change her mind anyhow.
And now I will sign off, because these are my last remaining hours to learn a phrase or two of Arabic. Our phrase book has all sorts of useful things to learn. I already have hello, goodbye, please, thank you, yes, and no. Having mastered those pleasantries, I’m not sure if I should continue with “the scorpion bit him right there” (just for fun) or “if you don’t stop following me I’ll scream” (a useful phrase to know in any culture). Maybe I should take a poll….
