Madrid with the Girls

Just 4 days after arriving home from the cruise, I was off again--Barely enough time to do the mountain of laundry, sort, and repack. This was an official OCSC trip organized by Sarah Hall, aka, The Best Tour Guide Ever. I helped her a bit by arranging our hotel accommodations at the fabulous Hostal Acapulco right downtown and by booking airport transport and a few other things. My working title is Svengali Sherpa to End All Sherpas. (Sarah is a bit dramatic!) Madrid is beautiful--fabulous architecture and sights. The weather was perfect and the company was fabulous.

Venice

We had one day at sea before returning to Venice. We docked early, so we got to spend the whole day exploring Venice. We took a water taxi downt to Piazza San Marco, where we went into the basilica and saw the amazing Byzantine mosaics. Then we went into the Doge's Palace and across the bridge of sighs. We walked around a bit, found a lovely restaurant for some delicious pizza. Walked some more and ate yummy gelato. Crossed the Rialto Bridge, bought some souvenirs, went to the Friari church to see Donatello's John the Baptist, and walked back to catch our ride to the airport. It was an exhausting day, made even longer by a delayed flight. Poor Colin!

Katakolon

We made everybody get off the boat today to go to Ancient Olympia. We had a different guide today, and her name was--brace yourself--PUPI. We all got a giggle out of this.

Anyway, it was amazing to see the ruins of where they had the games almost 3000 years ago. And to see the place where they still light the torch before each Olympiad today.

Mykonos

Mykonos was what I envisioned Greece to be. White-washed buildings set in green hills above blue sea. It was beautiful. We took a boat and a tour out to Delos, which is the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Our guide, Adonis (yes, for real), was very engaging and knowledgeable. It was a great day.

Athens

Our big day was Athens. We had booked a tour with a private companyand hired a large van to seat both families, a driver, and a tour guide to take us around the city. It was amazing to see the Acropolis, the Olympic Stadium, Lybettos Hill, etc. in real life. Our driver,Dmitri, and our guide, Pepe were fabulous. We learned a lot; it was interesting to hear the Greek side of the "Elgin Marbles" debate, especially while living in Britain and hearing the British argument for keeping them. The kids also learned that Greek food is delicious--they loved our lunch stop with Chicken Souvlaki, gyros style!We went to the changing of the guard in front of the unknown soldier memorial.They have a big ritual with some unique outfits! There was an older man there with food for the millions of pigeons--it was another highlight for the kids to "feed the birds."We also got to go the new Olympic Stadium on our way to drive the Lybettos Hill with the amazing view of the whole of Athens. Here is the whole crew--Carpenters and Meldrums enjoying our beautiful day in Athens. Should be memories to last a lifetime.

Corfu

Next up was the island of Corfu. The little kids elected to stay on the boat, which was a good call as it was freezing and rainy and there really wasn't that much to see.We went to the Achilleon Palace, a 19th century dwelling of the Austrian Princess who married into Greek royalty. After the Palace, we went down to Corfu City, where we wandered the crazy narrow and disjointed paths and did a little shopping and exploring. Ethan braved the elements with us and was rewarded with what was quite possibly the most delicious gyro EVER.

First stop--Croatia

Our first port of call was Split, Croatia. We took a bus tour and a walking tour of Diocletian's Palace. The Palace was prettyamazing--really more like a walled village--a motley mix of churches, living spaces, and shops. A highlight was hearing this a cappella group echoing through one of the ruined entrance halls.They werereally good, and it was interesting to hear some native Croatian music. The Dalmatian Coast is stunningly beautiful, but the rest of the town was pretty standard Eastern European. It was a lovely day, though, so we went back to the boat to swim and hang out.

Greek Island Cruise

Our big family trip this fall was on a cruise. We left from Venice on RoyalCaribbeanSplendor of the Seas. We arrived mid-morning in Venice, intending to spend the day exploring, but by the time we got to the boat to drop our luggage, lunch at the Windjammer Cafe was calling and we ended up exploring the boat and hanging out until departure time. We went with our friends, the Carpenters. Their kids and ours get along very well, and it was great to have playmates for just about everyone. (Ethan got gypped and had to hang with the grown ups!)

The kids enjoyed just about everything on the boat.

Kent and I had a balcony room and the kids were in a room just across the hall. The teen program wasn't that great, except for he last day, when they had some fun activities at sea. But, the children's program was a hit with everyone else and we all loved the food.

Colin had more chicken tenders than you can count, but the others were quite adventurous, trying lots of the yummy delicacies and special foods they serve.

Ethan tackled the Rock Wall, making it to the top despite the stiff wind and "gentle" rocking of the boat!

Ramstein Bazaar

Embarrasingly enough, I only have one picture of this adventure, and it is of me and Katrina sharing a plate of some of the most delicious pasta ever. A group of lovely ladies from Lakenheath Officer and Civilian Spouses Club rented a van and trailer to go down to the European Bazaar they have every year at Ramstein AFB. We flew into Frankfurt and were met by our driver who took us to fabulous shops where we could buy things, he would load them for us, and drive them back to England. Sign me up for next year again, please!

Normandy Beaches

The next day, we spent on the beaches themselves. It was really amazing to see what was left. There were the German batteries, some with guns and camoflage netting still intact. There were all the craters left from the Allied bombings before the troops came ashore. We spent some time at the American Cemetary at Omaha, which was very moving. Each of our children wandered until they found a marker which spoke to them in some way. They then thanked that soldier by name for his sacrifice. I hope it helped them understand what had happened there at least a little. We then walked down to the beach itself and splashed and marveled at what had been done. Ethan timed himself running from the waterline up to the treeline--it took him about 1 min 20 seconds, and that was without full combat gear and an 80 pound pack. It is a miracle that the mission succeeded. Kent, Ethan, and I had all read books about D-Day, which helped us understand the 18-month to 2 year prep time of Operation Overlord. Being there and standing on that soil made it very real.

On our final day, we stopped in Bayeux to view the famous tapestry telling the story of William the Conqueror. It is a really stunning achievement. So huge, so detailed, and so clear in the story telling. We took the audio guide which walked us through each panel, detailing the story and pointing out all the handiwork. Madeleine had studied this is Host Nation last year, so it was especially cool for her to see it up close (well, behind glass but close!).

We then headed back across the tunnel and home. It was a great trip.

Labor Day in Normandy

We decided to take the kids out of school for a day before things really got going and drive to Normandy for a long weekend. We drove and took the chunnel train. It was an easy drive. We stopped in Rouen on our first afternoon for a beautiful view of the cathedral. We then continued on to our KeyCamp right near the beaches. The camp itself was fairly nice with lots of amenities (like pools with slides, bounce houses and playgrounds), but the trailer was TINY. I mean, Kent was getting claustrophobic. Still, it was a bargain and the location couldn't be beat.

The next day, we headed to Caen, which was the first larger city liberted after D-Day to the memorial museum there. It was incredibly detailed and well-done, not only about the D-Day landings themselves, but also about pre-war and post-war history to help put the conflict in a larger context. We spent several hours there. The kids were very patient.

We then drove over to Mont St Michel. I had seen pictures of this in every French book I ever had from 7th grade on, so it was a big thrill to be there in person and get to climb up the rock and into the monastery. We loved it.

First Day of School

Even though we never seem ready, the first day arrived. Colin is across the street at Lakenheath Elementary in 2nd Grade with Mrs. LeVay. Bronwyn has a 15 minute walk to Liberty Intermediate in a 4/5 combo with Mrs. Siftar. Madeleine started at Feltwell Base in Lakenheath Middle School in Victoria House 6th grade. She and Ethan catch the bus just up the street. Ethan is in 8th grade in Central House. So far, so good!

Thetford Priory

After our turn cleaning the church, we stopped by Thetford Priory, which is right nearby. We had never been before, but it figures prominently in English History (more later) and are some fun ruins to climb.

Buckingham Palace

Once a year for about two months, when the Queen goes to Balmoral in Scotland, Buckingham Palace is open for visitors to see the State Rooms. It was amazing. I have seen lots of castles and palaces, but I was seriously impressed. We took the audio guide through the palace and the mews to see the horses, carriages, and Bentleys. After a yummy dinner, we finished with "Oliver!" It was a fabulous day!

Framlingham Castle Villians

I will write more about all this later, but just wanted to get the posts up. I took my kids and some friends to Framlingham Castle (about an hour away) to a Rogues and Villians presentation put on by English Heritage. It was fabulous.