Schuetz Family

First, a real quick set of photos from our 2005 Beach Trip to Nags Head, NC. As usual, we had a fantastic time, though it was totally different from any beach trip we’ve ever been on before…amazing how having an infant affects your schedule in unpredictible and unavoidable ways…

I’ll post more details about the trip later. Right now, people are clamoring for pictures, so here they are. Read more…

We’ve been busy lately…lunch with co-workers and their babies, movies, vaccinations, and Dominic’s first big road trip. Not to mention his first tub baths (which he really seems to enjoy!) Read more…

Well, I finally finished the write up for the England trip. We've been a lot busier over the last six months than I'd expected, and I wasn't really able to spend as much time on it as I probably should have. I've also spent a lot of time working on my other website (for our community), and at least what I'm learning over there I can reapply over here. So hopefully, I'll get some more stuff posted soon. 'Cause there's so much to talk about…

Day 13 – May 27 (Thursday)

Now it’s time for us to do some travelling with our hosts. We had our usual breakfast (sausage rolls and yum-yums), and walked over to the train station. Turns out the train’s late. Twelve minutes late. They gave us a “pass” to use at York, that’ll get us onto another train, in case we miss our connection, but we ended up not needing that, as we just barely made it in York (thankfully the Edinburgh train was on the same platform as ours). Once in our seats, we relaxed, did some journaling, and tried to add some cache information to the GPS. After a couple hours of very beautiful countryside and ocean views (fortunately, we were on the east side of the train), we pulled into Edinburgh, and found our way to the hotel.

After checking in (and determining that it’s not nearly as nice as the London hotel was), we walked to the castle. First, though, we stopped into an old cemetery, looking for a cache, but gave up as we think we ended up in the wrong spot. Still, it was quite an impressive visit, and didn’t really take us out of our way. We trudged up and around the castle, which is perched on the end of a high ridge. It turns out we arrived just in time for a half-hour tour, which was terrific. The castle is incredible, built on volcanic slag, and sort of winds higher and higher. At the highest level of the castle are the Scottish Crown Jewels, ruins of a much older tower, old prison spaces, and a massive cannon known as “Mons Meg.” The cannon was to be used for sieges, but it was so heavy that it was almost impossible to drag to battle (plus, it was pretty easy for your enemy to spot you way off). It was only actually fired once, at which point the barrel cracked. After exploring (and searching for a very well hidden cache we never did find), we ate lunch at the Red Coat Cafe. This was especially amusing for us, since almost exactly a year before we were walking Boston’s Freedom Trail!

After the castle, we walked on down the Royal Mile, and ended up at a hilltop park with a greek temple, an observatory, and one of England’s countless monuments to Nelson. In the rocks below the monument was a micro-cache that we all spent some time searching for (after a bit, Lauren and Andrea went off to enjoy the park). Then, it was back to the hotel to change and get some jackets, as it was starting to get cold. We walked about a while, trying to find a good place to eat, and ended up at a pub called Milne’s. It had a Lord of the Rings themed slot machine &emdash; very odd. Anyway, dinner was great, but we still weren’t done for the day.

We’d heard about “Ghost Tours,” and headed back to the Royal Mile to pick one up. At this point, perhaps I should remind the reader that the castle was located on the end of a high ridge. I haven’t mentioned that the hotel (and the pub) is on another ridge. So we went down, across, and back up. Again. There are a lot of hills in Edinburgh. Fortunately, we found a shortcut. Unfortunately, it was up about a thousand stairs.

Once we got back to the top, we hung out near St. Giles Kirk, and waited for it to get dark. And waited. And when we were tired of waiting, we waited some more. Ever the geek, David pulled out his Palm and fired up an astronomy program, which told him that, in Edinburg, sunrise for May 27 was at 4:40 in the morning, and sunset at 9:39 in the evening. A 17-hour day. And that’s not even counting twilight! Civil twilight (when you can still see the horizon and a few of the brightest stars have come out) stretches until 10:35 (and begins again at 3:45 in the morning). Nautical twilight (you can still see general outlines of things on the ground) goes until 12:23 the next day and begins again at 2:00 in the morning. There is no Astronomical twilight (the point at which the sky is absolutely free of even the faintest sunlight). What all this tells us (aside from that David needs a new hobby) is that it doesn’t really get dark until after 10:30, and even then it isn’t very dark until after midnight. (By contrast, back home in Chantilly for May 27, twilight times are at 8:52, 9:30, and 10:13, so really we were about 3 hours beyond when it would have been really dark at home.)

Anyway, this gave us all something to talk about while we waited for the tour to begin. Finally, it was dark enough, and they took us around to various locations telling great ghost stories and such. The best place was in a series of underground vaults. At one point, one of the major bridges that climbed the side of the ridge had buildings tucked into its arches. Over time, all these buildings were buried as land was filled in to “smooth” out the side of the ridge. Eventually, the buildings were completely buried and used by squatters, kidnappers, and other sorts of unsavory characters.

Eventually, we found ourselves in a graveyard, wondering where we could pick up a cab back to the hotel, where we all desperately wanted to be.

Day 14 – May 28 (Friday)

We woke up and headed across the street for breakfast (included in our hotel fee) at a place called “Rick’s.” Didn’t really like it. Food was passable, service was slow, and generally it wasn’t worth it. Then, we had to find an internet cafe (so Matt could fill out his timesheet). We didn’t know where one was, but Matt did know that there was a cafe “around the corner” from a webcam cache and, naturally, David had that mapped on his palm. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find either. Eventually, we gave up, asked for directions, and were pointed towards an internet cafe several blocks away.

So Matt filled out his timesheet, we checked email, and looked for information on “Scottish Nights” dinner / theater shows. We also searched for information on busses to Roslin, but couldn’t get much. So we wandered back to the tourist information center near the train station, fought with the crowds, broke up to visit restrooms in the neighboring mall, finally figured out where the bus stops, deciphered which schedule to look at (multiple bus companies, and two routes with very similar designations), and finally got on the bus, which was a bit cramped in the upstairs front seat. All in all, we arrived in Roslin feeling a little, well, cranky. We figured the best remedy for that was, naturally, food, and got burgers (with stilton cheese &emdash; yum!) at a pub next to the bus stop.

After lunch, we walked a block or two down a country lane to Rosslyn Chapel. It’s a relatvely small chapel, built in the 1400s, but is famous for two things. It’s home to incredibly detailed and rich decorations, and it’s a key location in The da Vinci Code, which we’d all read and enjoyed (prior to coming to believe it’s all a lot of bunk). When we arrived, we found a large hangar-like structure built around and above the chapel, as major roof work is underway. Still, that didn’t stop the visit, and we all went in to see what all the fuss was about. We really can’t describe it well &emdash; an incredible amount of carvings, but all so old as to be difficult to really see. Outside, on the catwalks around the roof, you could see the buttresses and finials up close, but they too were very worn. Which is all about what you’d expect for a 600-year-old structure, but still

The bus trip back to the city was much better (the front seats had more legroom). After getting back, we visited Jenners for an hour or so (Jenners is a big, fancy department store, sort of Edinburgh’s answer to Harrods), and then back to the hotel for a nap. We were so tired that Matt had to call on the hotel phone to wake us up for dinner. After some meandering, we ended up at a place called “Brown’s.” It was a little modern and euro-trendy, but had very good food. After that, there was nothing to do but sleep.

Day 15 – May 29 (Saturday)

Our last morning in Edinburgh. Up at 7:30, packed, cleaned, and to the bakery (for, you guessed it, sausage rolls. And beef pastie. Just to be different.) We walked down into the big park between Princes Street and the castle, and found a nice place to sit and eat (where we wouldn’t get wet, since it just started to rain a bit). Then, we split up for some shopping. Andrea and I ended up in a bookstore, and bought a couple of Scottish children’s books like “A Moose in the Hoose” (about a “Mouse in the House,” naturally). Then back to the hotel for our bags, walk to the train station, and figure out where the platform is (we ended up going up an elevator, only to find a more informative sign that sent us right back where we’d started. Great beginning.)

After returning to Harrogate and unpacking, Matt dropped us off at a train store on the other side of town. But they didn’t sell any O-Gauge cars, either. On our way walking back, we dropped into a baby store (their strollers seemed different than ours), and popped by Betty’s for some chocolate.

Dinner was difficult, too, since there was a convention in town and all the good pubs were booked solid. We wound up at the Hogs Head, which was bad for conversation but was kind of cool to see a real English sports bar, with rugby on all the TVs. Later, we burned all our pictures to DVD (over a gig!), and watched some Kingdom Hospital. After that, we played some Flux, drank a bit, and when we were done David, slightly drunk, went back upstairs to fight with a puzzle cache (“Resistance is Futile”) some more. The alcohol must’ve helped, because he finally figured out the trick (turns out it’s got nothing to do with either the Borg or Microsoft), sent off his answer, and so bagged his third tough puzzle cache for the trip.

Then, time for bed. Our trip is over, we gotta go home. *sob*

Day 16 – May 30 (Sunday)

Breakfast. No, no sausage rolls, yum-yums, or pasties. We had oatmeal. And it was actually kinda nice. It also turned out that we’re going home with more than we came over, so we had to borrow a suitcase from Matt. Hopefully, we’ll remember to give it back to him when he next comes to the States. It’s another long drive to Manchester, and though we’re sad to be leaving, it’ll be nice to get home. If only there weren’t that long plane flight in the middle…

In the airport, security seems much easier than at home. We’re not sure how to take that, but given how much of a pain Dulles was on our way out, it’s a relief. We find some lunch (Andrea’s caprese sandwich was horribly lacking), mailed ourselves a postcard, and got on the plane. The flight was uneventful, though it might have been nicer to get some sleep (David spent most of the flight reading and watching movies). We got back to the house, spent some time unwinding with our cats (who seemed very happy to see us), and crashed. Fortunately, the next day was a holiday, so we had plenty of time to sleep in and relax.

All in all, we had an incredible time. We’d definitely go back in a heartbeat. Hell, we’d even consider moving there for a couple years (on the Conner plan), if we could both find work and if we could afford to keep our house here. England was quiet and beautiful, the food was fantastic, the people were friendly, and the sights were astounding. If you have a chance to spend a couple of weeks there, we highly recommend it!

Day 11 – May 25 (Tuesday)

Today was tourista day. While Matt was off at work, Lauren drove us around Yorkshire. We started at Ripley Castle. It’s a nearby manor home with deer park, formal gardens, and 900+ years of family history. They have a great tour, showing off about half the formal rooms of the house, including an incredible armorial window (filled with a stained-glass coats-of-arms family tree). One of the best rooms was the Armory, where they recently found a priest hole hidden behind one of the wooden wall panels. One of the family ancestors was a Catholic priest, back when it wasn’t such a hot idea to be so in England, and this was where he’d hidden while troops searched the house. There was also a room where Cromwell (“may he rot in hell forever, yada yada yada,” as Andrea likes to say) was once a “guest” of the house. The story was that Cromwell and his army came to spend the night while on a march, and the mistress of the house, being a royalist, agreed to let him stay, but she spent the night watching over him with pistols in hand. There are still bullet holes in some of the walls where troops carried out executions. The gardens were quite extensive, and featured genuine California Sequoia trees (which, though “only” a hundred years old were still quite massive). The family still lives in the house, though they pretty much keep to the top floor of the house (which is still a fairly big flat).

Then, time for our ritual stop at a McDonald’s. Ritual, that is, in that we had to stop at one at least once (we tried it in Germany and weren’t too impressed, though the beer was nice). It was actually quite good &emdash; perhaps having fresh ingredients makes a difference. After that, we drove a good distance to Whitby. Whitby is a seaside town on the northeast coast. It’s best known, perhaps, as the setting for Bram Stoker’s Dracula (the book, not the movie). Also, Captain Cook sailed from there, and it was a whaling town for some time. The town is built in a narrow cleft between two cliffs, one of which is the site of abbey ruins (we didn’t climb the steps to the ruins, though). We took in some of the sites, shopped a bit, and walked along the beach looking for jet. Jet, which we didn’t know before we got to Whitby, is a semi-precious stone that’s basically fossilized coal. When cut and polished, it’s a deep, glossy black. It’s also very soft, and quite light &emdash; doesn’t feel like a rock at all. Anyway, almost all jet is mined right near Whitby, and it washes up on shore from time to time.

On the way back, we took a detour northwards to a town that David had found on a map. See, David’s family’s last name wasn’t always Schuetz &emdash; when his great grandfather Albert came over from Germany in the mid 1800’s, he changed his name to Schuetz from something else. We think that his old name was Loftus (and that his father was “Count John of Germany” in Alsace-Lorraine, married to Elizabeth), but we’re not really sure. Anyway, we noticed this town of Loftus on the map, so we drove through it on the extremely remote chance that it might have been founded by his ancestors (or at least cousins of theirs). It turns out that the name Loftus dates back in York to the Norman Conquest. Still, it was a fun drive. We made a quick stop a little later for some food, had tacos back at the house, watched some West Wing, and went to bed.

Day 12 – May 26 (Wednesday)

Another tourist day by ourselves in York. We got up late, and ran to catch the train, which (fortunately) was late. Upon arrival in York, we searched far and wide for a nice little spot to eat breakfast, and finally settled on a bakery/coffee chain. Not great, but we were hungry.

We found our way to the Guildhall, one of the oldest and best preserved guild halls in England. It’s really old, and pretty much the same as it was originally, with uneven floors, painted ceiling, and a basement that’s had its floor “raised” a few feet due to a rising water table. It’s also one of very few guild halls that’s got its own chapel.

After that, we went to see Clifford’s Tower. That’s the last remnant of the old York Castle, and it stands alone on a hill (or, really, just a very small and incredibly steep mound). The castle was sort of odd, in that the “keep” of the castle was at normal ground level, and the tower, well, towered above it. Anyway, the tower was built in a “quatrafoil” pattern (four overlapping circles, it almost looks like a clover in cross-section). All the wood (floors and roof) is gone, but you can walk around the top wall, where you get some great views of the city.

We then returned to the old town center, to have lunch at one of the oldest pubs in the city. After that, we were a little tired, and didn’t really want to do much more sight-seeing. So we went back to Monk’s Bar, and instead of turning left, we turned right, and finished the walk around the entire city passing through all the remaining gates. By the rail station was the York Railway Museum, which bills itself as the largest railway museum in the world (and it looks it). We spent about an hour looking at all the massive locomotives, and really enjoyed seeing the various Royal cars on exhibit. Then it was a mad dash back to the train station so we could get back in time for a nice dinner at Mario’s in Knaresborough. This town is just one train stop west of Harrogate, and the restaurant is one of Matt and Lauren’s favorites. After dinner, we drove up to the hill overlooking the town to check out the ruins (lots of ruins in this country), but it was getting late and was actually fairly cold. So we went back to the house, finished up our laundry, and packed for the next big trip.

Day 8 – May 22 (Saturday)

We woke up, bright and early, refreshed, and ready to take on the world! Well, no, actually, that was fantasy land. We slept in, then went for sausage rolls and starbucks. Then it was into the car for all of us, playing tourist!

It was off to Fountains Abbey. Fountains Abbey is (was) a Cistercian Abbey, founded in 1132 and in operation until Henry VII (he is, he is) dissolved all the monasteries in 1539. It’s now a ruin, but an incredibly huge and complex ruin. It’s also a World Heritage Site, sort of like a National Park for the planet. We’d never heard of the World Heritage program (though it turns out we’ve been to a couple sites already, closer to home). Anyway, we walked around the ruins for hours. There’s a whole huge section that was dormitories or an infirmary or something, under which a river (or large creek) flows. We figured that provided cooling, plus, well, an outlet. For privies. Anyway, it had several outbuildings, several clusters of other buildings, cloisters, a huge storage room, and, oh, yeah, a cathedral. We could have spent another few hours there, easily, and that’s not even counting the other more modern buildings, terraces, and what-not further down the river.

After leaving there, we took a quick detour to snap pictures of a couple odd road signs, for Matt. Then we rested (which we all needed), and had a great dinner at a Tapas restaurant in town. After that, it was The Reduced Shakespeare Company, in the Harrogate theatre, performing “All The Great Books (abridged).” It was sort of funny, in England, seeing a play that’s sort of American (it’s set in a US High School Gym the morning before the big literature final), especially with some of the Bush-bashing that sort of slipped in accidentally throughout the night. After the show, we walked around a bit, then back home to watch Catch Me If You Can (which Andrea and I had still not seen). Great flick. <yawn!> Time for bed.

Day 9 – May 23 (Sunday)

Sunday was a “goofing off” day for us. Andrea and Lauren went to Tea at Betty’s Tea Room, and then visited the Harrogate spa. David and Matt, meanwhile, did manly things. Well, no, actually, they did a bit of driving down to Leeds, poked around a warehouse looking for clues to a cache (“Resistance is Futile” &emdash; more on that in a few days), and drove all over the countryside finishing up another puzzle cache, planting a cache (“Enigma Redux”), and helping to move a table for some friends. We also passed a beautiful Ford GT40 on the road. It looked like it was only about 2 feet high, was painted with racing colors, and even had right-hand drive!

Later in the evening we all regrouped, then drove back out into the countryside for dinner at the Hopper Inn &emdash; a little pub & inn not far from Fewston Reservoir. After dinner, we drove by the water hole where we’d stashed the new cache, and went home to watch The Simpsons. While getting ready for bed, we reviewed our plans for York….

Day 10 – May 24 (Monday)

Ahh, Monday. And we’re not at work! Ha, ha! (sorry, couldn’t resist). It’s up, pack up a day bag, and off to eat… (wait for it…) …sausage rolls. Then, to the train station we go! Today, we’re visiting York, and the trip is pretty short (about 40 minutes with stops), and cost only about £6.50 each, round trip. Along the way we passed through some of the beautiful Yorkshire countryside, spooking countless rabbits along the way. We finally arrived at York, and basically follwed the crowd towards what we hoped would be the city. (We also had a map, but it was pretty obvious which way to go).

We first climbed up on to the wall. Old York is relatively small, and its circumfrential wall is still completely intact. We walked along it for a short while, then had to go back down to ground level to cross over the river (I guess they didn’t need a wall over the river). After crossing, we turned a bit away from the wall and found ourselves facing the York Minster, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world. It’s massive East Window is the size of a tennis court. The cathedral was completed in 1472 and is absolutely amazing. They built it atop an earlier Norman church (and even incorporated some of the stained glass into the “new” building, so it now has some 1000-year-old windows). The Norman church was built on the ruins of an old Roman basilica, at which a young Constantine I was proclaimed emperor in 306 (the only time a new emperor was proclaimed outside of Rome). We could go on for hours talking about this church – the glass, the clocks and bells, the ceiling, bosses, and flirtations with disaster (fire, war, and an ancient Roman sewer that was undermining the foundation). All we can really say, now, is if you’re ever going to be anywhere near York, arrange to stay an extra day and see this (and the town, too) (it’s also the only major cathedral where we were permitted to take pictures inside).

Once we’d completed the tour (oh, yeah, if there’s one thing we’ve learned on this trip, take the guided tours of the big churches), we walked south into the old town to look for food. We ate at a small pub, wandered around a bit, and finally managed to stumble into the shambles. This is a short street that reportedly served as the inspiration for Diagon Alley, and we could really understand the inspiration. The buildings on either side are relatively close, but what’s really crazy is what happened over time. The landowners decided, over the years, to build upward for more space. But each time they added a floor, they’d extend it over the street a few feet. Until, by the 3rd or 4th floor, some buildings across the street from each other were just about touching. It’s kinda wild. Today, the street is filled with touristy shops (and some not-so-touristy ones), and we spent some time window shopping and bought some coins at a nice shop at the end of the street.

We then walked back to the wall, stopping at the Monk’s Bar (a gate) and poked around the Richard III museum (he was from York, you know). Then we walked back to the train station along the wall, enjoying some lovely views of the Minster’s back gardens along the way. When we got back to the house, we gathered up ourselves, got some Pizza Hut pizza, and went to Valley Gardens Park for a picnic. They took us to their favorite picnic spot, where Lauren and Andrea investigated the anatomical correctness of the baby statues in the fountain. The park has some really great park benches, too, made to look like snakes. Then it was off into the woods to plant Matt & Lauren’s first cache, “Yorkshire Yankee Doodle.” We wandered along the trails for some time, marveling at the beautiful flowered trees, until we found Just The Right Spot. We took some pictures, walked back to the house, watched the Alias season finale, and then collapsed into bed.

Oh, yeah. There’s a mouse in the house. Lauren is not amused.

Day 4 – May 18 (Tuesday)

We woke up Tuesday morning, got cleaned up, packed a smaller subset of bags, and ran out the door for the trek (3 blocks) to the train station. We took an Arriva train (basically, commuter rail) to Leeds, about 40 minutes away, then transferred to a GNER (Great Northeast Railroad) train for the trip to London. We got to Kings Cross station about 1:00 in the afternoon, and promptly dragged our bags over to Platform 9 3/4 (where you can catch the train to Hogwart’s, if you’re not quite as much a Muggle as we are). Then, it was a quick cab ride to our hotel (The Montague on the Gardens), lunch (at the London Cafe, a few blocks away), and then off to the Underground!

We walked to a nearby station (Tottenham) and took the subway (sorry, “Tube”) to Charing Cross. Almost immediately, we noticed a nice little church in front of us. It was The Parish Church of St. Martin in The Fields. I think I’ve heard of that one. Anyway, we walked past it, and there in front of us was Trafalgar Square. Off in the distance, we could see the Victoria Tower at Parliament, while nearer to us were several very large lions and a statue on some sort of column. Continuing our walk, we headed towards Whitehall, and stopped at Horse Guards. This compound was originally the only (and remains the official) entrance to Buckingham Palace, and it is here that the Queen’s Life Guard stands guard. We were lucky enough to have arrived just in time to see the changing of the sentries! Then, we continued on down past 10 Downing Street, the Cenotaph, and on to Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

We were too late to go inside anything, so we walked around the Abbey, checked out the Sovreign gate at Parliament, visited the park just south of the Victoria Tower, and wandered across the Thames to the London Eye. The Eye is a huge ferris wheel, containing something like 30 individual glass-enclosed pods, each of which can hold over 20 people. The wheel turns very slowly, so that you’ve got a 30-minute long ride high over London. Good thing about coming so late in the day: no lines and an almost empty pod. Bad thing: All the interesting sights are on the west side of the river, with the sun on the wrong side. Anyway, we enjoyed the ride, and the view, seeing Parliament, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, Battersea Power Station, Westminster, St. Paul’s, several weird looking buildings, and just barely, the Tower of London.

Also while up there we noticed a barge in the river just below us. On the barge was a flat sort of thing that looked like it might be a lighted sign or something. It said “London 2012″ and included the Olympic rings. Turns out that very day the International Olympic Committee had announced the “short list” of five cities in competition for the 2012 Olympics, and London had made the list! (along with Madrid, Moscow, Paris, and New York) As we were walking away, it occured to us, “hm…a barge…fireworks!!” We checked with someone who looked semi-official, and, yes, fireworks were scheduled for 9:30. So we crossed back over the river (unfortunately, the closest footbridge with the best view was closed). We found some dinner at a nearby italian restaurant, walked back to the Victoria Embankment park (hoping that would be a good vantage point), and waited. About 10 minutes of 9, people came around telling us the park would close at nine, so we got up and searched for a better location. What should we stumble upon but a tapas bar, on a boat, right across the river from the barge! And there was an empty table! So we ran down, ordered drinks and some fried plantains, and waited for the show.

The first volley scared about everyone on the boat, because nobody knew it was coming. Nobody, that is, except us, and the two people in black t-shirts with walkie-talkies who obviously worked for the fireworks company. Shortly into the show, the London 2012 logo was lit up with sparklers, and we heard “3…2…1…” coming from the walkie-talkies about 10 feet away. Right on cue, the footbridge erupted in a waterfall of sparks! (now we know why it was closed). The show was short, unfortunately, but still an incredible thrill, and a great way to close our first day in London. We finished our drinks, watched them put out a small fire on the footbridge, congratulated the fireworks workers (“fireworkers”?) on the show, and took the tube back out of town (well, back to the hotel, anyway).

Day 5 – May 19 (Wednesday)

We got a late start. I mean, well, we were still fairly tired. First off, we went to the tube (Tottenham, again), and were surprised to be routed around the escalators. Turns out that one of the three escalators was down for long-term repairs, and in the morning both the others move up. So we took a side corridor and followed the sheep down a spiral stairway, 100 steps down (yes, David counted). It looked like they’d sunk a 12′ wide steel tube, ran pipes down the middle, and wrapped stairs around it. Took us forever to get down.

Then, we got out at the Leicester Square station, and started looking for theatre tickets. After a while we gave up, not seeing much that really grabbed us (it seemed silly to see a show just for the sake of seeing a show), so then we got lost (trying to find an Information center) and then found our way to Trafalgar for sausage rolls (and a nice chat with an American who misses all the pigeons).

Then it was a rush to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. Halfway there, we ran into the back of a parade &emdash; no, wait, that’s the guard (you know, the one that’s supposed to be changing). We caught up, took some pictures, and planted ourselves in the middle of the crowd. After some time we decided we’d never be able to see anything good (everything happens behind the fence, and about 5000 other tourists), so we moved on to Westminster Abbey.

Westminster is incredible. It’s less a church than it is a National Cemetery. Henry V, Isaac Newton, Lord Tennyson, Handel, Chaucer, Laurence Olivier…over 3300 people are estimated to be buried there (poor record keeping early on). The building itself is a classic cathedral style, with a beautiful Chapter house, cloisters (we sat and listened to the bells there), a high altar, the tomb and shrine for Edward the Confessor (closed to the public). Also present was the Coronation Chair (used by every monarch since 1296), the Tomb of the Unknowns, and plaques for every poet and author imaginable. We only spent a few hours there, but could have stayed for hours more. As it was, we were hungry and wanted to move on.

As we moved north, we passed in front of Parliament, where the crowds seemed a little thicker (and more camera-laden) than they’d been the day before. We asked a security guard what the deal was (after he’d urged a path open) and he laughed, saying this was normal. We pressed him (there were several TV cameras on tripods), and he laughed again and told us to watch the news that night. Turns out just earlier that morning the Prime Minister had been hit with a “purple flour bomb” during Prime Minister’s Questions. So things were a bit, if not tense, then at least circus-like. We left, grabbed a snack, and walked north up Whitehall (passing 10 Downing street &emdash; the little door way in the back of the photo).Our plan had been to visit Temple Church (featured in The da Vinci Code), but it was closed.
On our way there (after a tube ride and late lunch) we visited the Twinings Tea store. A sign in the store proclaimed that the “tea the rebels dumped in Boston was NOT Twining’s Tea.” After we left, we took the tube back to Trafalgar, where we went to an Evensong service at St. Martin in the Fields (after some time in the Crypt for a snack and light shopping). We’d expected a choral performance, and hadn’t been ready for it to be a bona fide religious service. Hundreds of our Catholic ancestors must have been rolling over in their graves. Still, we sat it out (and smiled at the formal prayer “God save our gracious Queen”), but had to leave when David had a coughing fit (the acoustics in that place are incredible).
Then, it was back to the hotel room for some rest, then dinner at a place a few blocks away called Cagney’s (everything based on the actor Jim Cagney). Very American menu, crowded sidewalk cafe, decent food, great setting. Then we walked back home, watched the news (Purple flour! Wow!) and crashed.

Day 6 – May 20 (Thursday)

Again with the late rising. And head colds. And sheep-like descent into the tubes. Then, we breakfasted at a Nero Cafe (coffeeshop chain) just down the block from St. Paul’s Cathedral, where we enjoyed a 2-hour guided tour with one other couple. The history there was incredible, the church magnificent (even though much of it was obscured by recent restoration work). We climbed the 550+ steps (David counted, Andrea looked at a sign) to the top of the dome and were treated to an incredible view of London (and, on the way, an incredible view of the interior of the cathedral). There’s an American chapel in this cathedral. Apparently, after WWII (or, as they like to call it, “The War of 1939 – 1945″), representatives of the US asked Britain if we could have a memorial somewhere in the UK for Americans fallen in the defense of Britain. The Brits said “Of course, but it should be our responsibility to provide it for you.” They cast around for a location, and someone must’ve said “Why not St. Paul’s?” because that’s where it is, in a place of very high honor at the easternmost end of the cathedral, behind the High Altar. We were, honestly, floored (and I can only imagine how the people who’d first asked for the memorial felt). The chapel featured intricate limewood carvings (including a “moon rocket” hidden in one corner), and Books of Remembrance for all the Americans killed in direct defense of the U.K. Very moving. Many of the other monuments in the cathedral are of a military nature, including a memorial to Admiral Lord Nelson (featuring a seasick Lion!) and the grave of the first American killed in WWII (a pilot, pretending to be a Canadian, and killed as a member of the RAF.)

After we finished at St. Paul’s, we dashed to the Tower of London (including some lengthy underground inter-tube-station walking). We were just able to make the final Yeoman Warder’s tour.  The tour was great &emdash; the Yeomen are actual members of the armed forces, and this is their final assignment (only qualifying after 22 years of active duty).  They actually live in the tower complex with their family, and their children can be married in the tower chapel, and their grandchildren, baptized there.

We learned all about the various executions (some VIPs inside the tower grounds, most outside), the Traitor’s Gate (where the guide offered a hearty “Welcome Home” to his Australian visitors), the legend of the Ravens (“When they leave, the kingdom falls.”  They have 7 ravens now.  All with clipped wings, so they won’t be leaving anytime soon.), and many many other interesting bits.  Unfortunately, since we came so late, we couldn’t see much &emdash; truly, this is another half-day site, and if we’d gotten an earlier start to St. Paul’s this might have worked out.  But we got the tour, and we were able to see the Crown Jewels with no wait.  That was impressive, too, as they’ve obviously been to Disney (3 different rooms with line mazes and big video screens showing looped videos &emdash; there’s definitely a long wait most days).

From the Tower we were able to see Tower Bridge, though we never actually got out to the bridge.   We took another ride on the tube and paid a quick 20-minute visit to Harrod’s, where you, too, can own a doggie canopy bed for the low price of £6,999 (about $12,000).  Then, we wandered around looking for food and found a great place called the Bunch of Grapes, and then it was back home (in the rain &emdash; which may have been the first rain we’d seen all trip).  We caught up on some journaling, read some, and then, predictably, fell deep asleep.

Day 7 – May 21 (Friday)

The very next morning, our last day in London.  Got up, cleaned up, packed up, and then ate up.  We ate in the hotel, where they had two different breakfasts &emdash; a regular “continental” and a “fried up” breakfast.  We had the fried up, ’cause it included things like eggs and sausage and other hot stuff (as opposed to cold meats, cheese, and fruit).  Turns out it wasn’t free (which we’d've known if we’d looked a little closer at the hotel pamphlet).  it was £14.50!  That’s $28!  PER PERSON!  We were not impressed with the price, and less impressed with the food.  We’re just happy that we hadn’t been eating that every morning, thinking it was free!

So we checked out, left our bags at the front desk, and headed down to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, where we completed some brass rubbings we were doing for our moms (as Mother’s Day gifts), and a couple for ourselves.  Then it was rush back to the htel, grab a cab to Kings Cross, and into the ‘Q’.  After quite a while in line, our train finally came in, and everybody rushed aboard.  The trip back was uneventful, though when we got to Leeds we just barely made it onto the connecting train.  Somehow, we arrived in Harrogate ahead of schedule, and surprised Lauren by walking in the door (when she was just beginning to think about walking to the station to meet us).

Being pretty much pooped, we spent the evening at home, enjoying a homemade lasagna dinner that couldn’t be beat, watching some of the Chapelle show (sent by Rod), and catching up on Alias (sent by, er, us).  After some ice cream, we all went to bed.  Well, Matt didn’t (he stayed up watching Kingdom Hospital &emdash; have I mentioned they really don’t like British TV?)

We like to travel. We just don’t do nearly enough of it. So when our very good friends Matt and Lauren Conner moved to England, we knew that an overseas trip was in our future. Read more…