Travelogue: March 17, 2013 Last Day in Brugge

Cadence and I woke up before the H's, so we dressed and packed early. I knew we'd have breakfast dishes to wash and that M & S would have their hands full packing up and getting E ready, so I wanted all our packing done.

We enjoyed our last few hours in the hotel-of-a-lifetime and made it out the door right at 10:30-check out time.

We walked our luggage down the streets of Brugge to the car park just as M & S had done on Friday. As we approached the car park, we heard a drum line and saw a group of people dressed in bright orange and yellow and other colors.

We remembered it was St. Patrick's Day. We unloaded everything at the car and then walked to Historium, an AMAZING museum about the history of Brugge in medieval times. (I couldn't find the link to the English-speaking website...the photos are worth looking through.) It presented a story through the narration of a young man who worked for a famous Belgian artist. (This link IS IN English!) The story was told through the use of video displayed in windows, up a flight of stairs and on a table. The music was captivating and mysterious. We bought two pens (nearly all my pens I packed have run out of ink), postcards and gummy bears.

We moved on to lunch at the Italian restaurant we ate at the day before. Then it was time to leave Brugge. I took in the flags blowing grey, white and red in the town square trying to memorize the sights into my mind for remembering later. I was sad to go, but also feeling ready to return to Maidstone and then the U.S.

I tried to stay awake in the backseat through Belgium as long as I could. I slept through France and woke up when M asked for our passports.

We had an uneventful trip back to England on the Chunnel. We came home in the late afternoon and relaxed for the rest of the evening. I started organizing our stuff and wrapping my brain around how to get our souvenirs home.

Cadence started "sending" me love notes under the door while M unpacked and bathed E. I sent her notes back. It was spontaneous and endearing.

I can tell it's time for us to leave...Cadence's listening is happening in shorter lengths of time and my patience tank is running on low...

We ate leftover pizza from lunch and then decided to put on our pajamas, unfold the couch in the living room and watch My Life in Ruins. M shared chocolates from Brugge, and the four of us laughed through the movie. It was a great way to end the day and it was such a sweet, hilarious movie.

Cadence and I had a little cry when we went to our bedroom for the night. We're really going to miss England and the H's.

I read Cadence to sleep with Katie in London, the book I bought her in the Queen's Shop in London.

Travelogue: March 16, 2013 Brugge, Belgium Day 2

Cadence and I were awakened in the middle of the night. We heard voices, racing cars, and general middle-of-the-night merriment. We turned on the light, worked a hidden picture puzzle, and I read an article of Cadence's choice before going back to bed. This was some time after 2:30 a.m.

We got up about 8 o'clock, had breakfast at our dining table. E pushed herself backwards while strapped into her travel seat. Heart attack for her mama and flashbacks for me of Cadence's forehead kiss on the pool concrete the year before.

The rest of the day from 10:30-5:15 was spent sight-seeing:
1. Museum of Chocolate (across from our hotel)
2. Climbing 300+ steps of the Belfry in the Town Square - Cadence did so great
3. Pizza and soup at the Italian restaurant in the square
4. Back to hotel for nappy change (diaper)
5. Tour of Canals by boat (we got to see a great view of the city this way)
6. Shopping - found Brugge postcards, tapestry for Mom, sweatshirt and felt clog slippers for Cadence, tea towel for me and chocolates to take home.

We'd been on our feet all day, so we picked up Belgian waffles and returned home. We spent the next three hours watching Discovery Channel with Dutch or Flemish subtitles while Cadence slept.

S stayed in all day fighting a cold, but came out with us after dark. We took our same path and saw the beauty of the buildings lit up. There was a light rain and still the wind.

S took some photos and we continued to window shop. We picked up fast food for late dinner. Cadence got another happy meal with a prize that promptly broke.

E went straight to bed and we ate quietly at our table. Then we played UNO and went to bed. We slept soundly. M & S had a turn at the noisy revelers outside.

Other notables:

*Watching Good Luck Charlie and other shows in Dutch.
*Watched a show on Discovery Channel about London's River Thames and how it has changed over the centuries and how it's being modified today.

From the margin of my journal:
Cadence enjoyed the Find and Seek activity at the chocolate museum...a chocolate sucker was the prize! E gobbled hers; Cadence savored hers.

Travelogue: March 15, 2013 Brugge, Belgium

Groceries for Brugge: 25.88EU

"A train what's under the ocean like Dinosaur Train? Will we see sharks?" These were Cadence's comments as I explained that we will be taking the chunnel to Belgium. (What's was her version of that's at the time.)

Before we left Maidstone, Cadence and I walked postcards to friends to the red postbox up the street from 4 Postmill Drive.



The Hs and Mahoneys loaded up and drove to Dover where we would catch the Eurotunnel to France. We were there early, so we ate the sandwiches I made at the house and waited for our time to drive onto the train.



We settled in, unbuckled the kids, ate more of the food we packed and waited for the train to start moving. It was disorienting to be in the car and still, but look out the window and see that the train was slowly moving.

The girls and M and S got up and walked around. In 35 minutes we were in France. They checked our passports before we got on the train, so we pulled off and were on our way.

The part of France we drove through was described by M as industrial and nothing to look at. I told her, "It's still France!" I saw some steeples scattered about, but otherwise, she was right.

We weren't in France long before we entered Belgium. The first thing I noticed was how different the words on the signs looked: lots of vowels mixed in.

Sooner than expected we found ourselves in Brugge and it seemed like we'd entered a different world. The streets are cobbled and very narrow. S was using the GPS TomTom to find our parking garage. We pulled into a space and S said, "We're in a car elevator!" That was a new experience for all of us. We pulled the car into an open space and walked several blocks to our hotel - Hotel of the Seasons. After first walking past it, we found the hotel and entered with our passcode. It turns out this property is operated "behind the scenes," so we didn't see any staff until we asked for directions to our room, Monsoon.

We met Raymonde the Manager who was lovely - very friendly and spoke very good English.

We walked into our apartment and we all audibly gasped. It was a huge space with amazing bedrooms on each end. Cadence was giddy and kept saying, "This is the best! I wish we lived here!"

I promptly took photos before we messed it up with our suitcases. Once the shock of the utter awesomeness began to wane, M and S walked back to the car to bring the luggage while I stayed with the girls.

We unpacked, bundled up and headed out for a walk around the town center. The two town centres of Europe I have seen: Prague and Brugge remind me of each other. Same but different. The buildings are so quaint and old. It was cold and windy. Not too many people out in the square. We did a short walk around to see the sights. Saw the canals - lots of people on bicycles and window shopping. We stopped for a lovely dinner in one of the restaurants on the square.

Our waiter asked us where we were from and told us that he was recently in Tunbridge Wells (where M and S used to live) to buy a golf cart from Ebay. What a random and lovely story. Everyone was kind to Cadence, and she commented on it.

We finished dinner and walked a little more. It was cold and windy, so I welcomed going home to our posh quarters. We picked up groceries at a corner market for breakfasts.

We hung out for awhile and then proceeded to the shower. We couldn't get any hot water, so after M gave it a try, she called in S, who saw us in our towels. Cadence was giggly. I just wanted warm water! It finally warmed up and we had a good relaxing shower. Cadence and I got our jammies on, crawled in bed and enjoyed some Hidden Pictures (Finally! I don't want to carry them all home...our backpacks were heavy!)

Our bedding is amazing. Two square pillows, a fitted sheet and a heavy duvet cover. So easy to make in the morning. At some point, Cadence said, "I love this bed."

Note in the margin of my journal: "Would you like some warm fluffy?" - Cadence while playing restaurant in the House of Seasons apartment.

Travelogue: March 14, 2013 ~ LONDON

The Three Musketeers headed to London by train at 9:55 a.m. We arrived at Victoria Station, made a pit stop at the W.C. (I forgot we have to pay 50 p to use public toilets) and headed off for Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square's Lions. We approached the Palace from the side, which was a new vantage point. We took some photos at the Palace's front gate, answered Cadence's initial questions and then walked back to the Queen's shop.

We found lots of neat souvenirs to choose from. I decided on two books (children's) and postcards. Cadence selected a chocolate bar wrapped in a British flag and postcards too. The chocolate she bought to share with Titi when we get home.

We walked back to the front of the Palace then took photos at the Statue of Queen Victoria. I realized it was my first time being on it in all my visits. The Mall was open to traffic, so we walked through St. James Park. There were daffodils in bloom, but not in the quantity as in 2005 (my second trip to London.)

S walked us to Trafalgar Square and helped us form our route and plan for the next few hours while he had a meeting with a prospective employer.

We ate sandwiches with fruit cup and honey at Pret a Manger. It was nice to get out of the cold for a little bit. We then walked to Trafalgar Square to take pictures at the Lion. Somewhere Cadence learned about the Lion and asked specifically to see it.

After three visits to London, Trafalgar Square, the Mall, St. James Park, and Embankment is still my favorite area.

We walked to the park at Embankment and across the footbridge over the Thames to the London Eye.

We made our way through crowds and street performers and past a new park made in honor of the Queen's Jubilee.

We bought tickets, waited in line and got on the Eye much sooner than I expected. I enjoyed the experience a lot. It really is a great way to see the city and the 360-degree map makes a great souvenir. I was glad it was a 30 minute ride; Cadence got a little warm and bored, but overall, I think she liked it too.

After our ride, we purchased a few souvenirs at the shop. As we were walking down the ramp, one of the employees playfully stuck out his tongue at Cadence. I smiled and he smiled too.

We had a few minutes to spare before meeting S, so I took Cadence to a playground within the Jubilee Park. Cadence had a chance to play, run, and crawl on ropes and wooden structures. I didn't wear a watch on the trip and can't use my phone, so I realized it might be tricky to meet S on time. As we crossed the bridge, I spotted a building with a clock. Problem solved! When we were on the Eye, I could also read the time on Big Ben, so I was set.

Later I read in the This is London book I bought that the hands on Big Ben are 14 feet long! Whoa.

We had no trouble finding S even though the area was super croweded. I was grateful. We decided to cross the river at Westminster Abbey, see Big Ben up close and head for home early.

The key to this trip has been stopping while we're ahead - something Raising Your Spirited Child taught me and was reinforced over and over on this trip.

The other theme of this trip has been our excellent timing: Going to Leeds Castle when we did ahead of the snow; Staying in out of the snow the next morning; our timing of seeing London - It was sunny and clear all day.

We walked back to Victoria Station and there wa a train back to Maidstone within minutes. We were stuck in traffic in Maidstone picking up E from nursery. I had Adele's Skyfall stuck in my head, so S played it in the car.

M taught me step-by-step how to make breaded chicken for Cadence. She couldn't stop eating it.

Our evening was quiet. We ate leftovers in preparation for our weekend trip to Belgium. Cadence and I went to bed early. London wore us out!

Purchases: Lunch 13,14UK; London Eye Tickets 31,50UK Souvenirs 4,50UK; Royal Souvenirs 17,98UK

Julie's campaign: Make the Brits smile.

Travelogue: March 13, 2013 Brighton, England

Two years ago I took my almost-six-year-old daughter on her first trip abroad. We flew to London, England, to spend two weeks with my college roommate M, her husband S, and their toddler, E. S was our completely amazing tour director and driver whilst Titi M started a new job. We missed her every day, but loved the chance to get better acquainted with Uncle S.

The following are excerpts from the travel journal I kept during that trip.

Car park = parking lot

On the road to the seashore, Cadence spotted our first pasture of sheep of the trip. (Sheep, especially in the English countryside, are my favorite.)

Seeing the English Channel for the first time was breathtaking.

What a day!! Took the scenic route to and from Brighton on the coast.

Stopped first in Bexhill-on-Sea, the retirement capital of Britain per S, for a walk on the seashore. Cadence picked up seashells, and had a good time. We got back on the road and then stopped for McDonald's--English style. The tables and chairs were so unique. I took a lot of pictures of the dining area. S was glad to hear they were serving apple pie. We proceeded to Brighton. Parked near the water and began our walk toward Brighton Pier. We found four postcards for a pound, a tea towel with the Queen on a 50 pound note, and S bought a Big Bang Theory poster that is completely awesome. On the walk towards this totally cool shopping area called the Lanes, Cadence started chasing S's shadow and vice versa.

I loved the Lanes so much, and found this amazing boutique. I walked in just to look around. It was teeny tiny, but had such cool clothing. I tried on a dress--I could feel my heart start beating faster--and splurged on it. 79 pounds. I thought of L (a fashion-forward friend at home) the whole time. The clerk had this amazing outfit on, so I asked permission to take a photo and she obliged.

We took refreshments at a totally amazing restaurant called Bohemia (in honor of M). We split a dessert platter and hot drinks. Cadence ordered a hot chocolate and it was an experience. A warm glass of milk was served with a stick of square chocolate to stir in. It was really neat and tasted great...

We took a completely scenic, English drive that avoided all the motorway traffic. S was so pleased and I loved looking at all the houses, street signs, and asking questions.

Cadence bought a postcard for her third-grade buddy, Johna. She wrote: I love you because you are my buddy. I like you because you are nice.

There was a beautiful, big-flaked snowfall on our drive home. It was so beautiful to see with English cottages all around.

I keep thinking, "I can't believe we're here," and then tell myself, "Yes, I can--it seems the most natural thing ever."

Other notables:

I have renewed interest in trying Jane Austen. I may try Mansfield Park since that is the one featured on the stamps I bought yesterday.

We all picked our favorite parts of the day:

C: picking seashells and getting dessert.

S: the drive home and seeing how happy I was when I found my dress.

This really has been a 5-star day!

Cadence wrote quite a lot in her journal tonight. I was really proud, AND she said she loved doing it. :)