Thursday, May 29, 2008

Monkey see, monkey do!

Ummm...not quite right. (Bubble courtesy of Katie.)
Getting closer...
Look at those lips!
After many, many attempts (and at least 100 pictures,) he finally figured it out! Yay! I hope that whoever invented the spill-less bubble tumbler won some kind of award!

Memorial Day "Camp Out"

Thank you Uncle Scott & Aunt Carrie for the fun camping kits! It was a bit too cold to sleep outside so we camped inside. We watched Kipper from our cool inflatable chairs and then we each slept in our own pup tent.

Will thought the chairs were really neat except he couldn't figure out how to sit in it without it sliding out from under him.
Success at last!!!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Final London Post


Iofina
opening the London Stock Exchange on Friday, May 9, 2008.
Ringing the bell. The glowing spheres move up and down while the market is open each day.
Us with Julie & David Schneider. We have our hands on the globe/buzzer the guys pushed to open the market. This is what they call, "ringing the bell." Interestingly, after 9/11 happened over here, the London Stock Exchange went to an all-electronic system for safety reasons. They switched buildings in 2003 to a state-of-the-art facility where safety is their top priority. There are no longer traders on the floor, they are in various offices around the main lobby, and shortly after the opening we were all ushered into a private room.
Us with some of the fine folks who helped make this happen. Everyone worked hard and treated us so nicely. It was a wonderful experience. Now Lance says that the really hard work begins...
Richard Webster-Smith from the London Stock Exchange welcoming and congratulating Iofina.
The entrance to the London Stock Exchange, early morning it was already bustling with activity.The entrance to the Exchange and the rest of Paternoster Square from the top of Saint Pauls Cathedral.
My handsome hubby on the morning of his big day...

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

We interrupt the history lessons to bring you...

...A typical Sydney temper tantrum. All I did was ask her to pick up the blocks. Instead of complying, she climbed inside the block tub and screamed her little heart out in protest. A sure-fire way to get her to stop crying? Simply pull out the camera...she is 100% drama queen. Is it not the most pitiful face you've ever seen?
Now onto happier thoughts...Will's favorite new pasttime is carrying around our 30-year-old Fisher Price Medical Kit.Do you recall the days before the fancy label makers...when they had the little hand-crimping label machine, where you would dial to the desired letter then squeeze? Lance's name is hand-crimped on a label that has a permanent home on this FP medical kit--that's how I can figure out it's approximate age!

Monday, May 19, 2008

99 Bottles of...





Beer. Lots of it. The British love their pubs, and they are everywhere. I hesitated to even post this on the blog, but truly, the pubs are such an important part of London culture! Pubs are not just a drinking destination, they are one of your best bets for a reasonably priced meal and some great local conversation! Every direction you turn, a small alley can be seen, with numerous pub signs all of the way down to the other end, (hard to see in the photo, but I remember counting 3 in this alley.) Many had beautiful signs, often accompanied by flowers. I liked the watercolor sign, it was rather unique. The last one is from "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese." This pub dates back to the 1200's. A fire destroyed it in the 1600's and the way you see it now is how it was constructed in 1667! It is an "olde" beer stop to the likes of many, many kings and famous Brits. They have a running list inside of the "who's who" that have visited over the centuries. No kidding! We did go down 5 levels of slippery stone steps into the freezing lowest level to sit on ancient benches and have a celebratory drink the night of Iofina's opening! The closest brush to royalty I will ever have since we couldn't even get near the gates at Buckingham! Cheers to a great trip...

Friday, May 16, 2008

More history...are we having fun yet?

Marble Arch once stood at the entrance to Buckingham Palace. Only the royal family and royal troops are allowed to pass through the arch. It was moved from the Palace because it is said that the Queen's carriage is too large to pass through. It now stands on Speaker's corner, across the street from Hyde Park. Across the street from Marble Arch is the area known to history as "Tyburn," where until the 1783 over 65,000 people were executed! Today the sight is only identified by the three brass triangles and a plaque.
These are the original gates to the City of London, which are now located at Paternoster Square, near the London Stock Exchange. I cannot recall how old they are or where they were originally located (sorry.) But they do look very, very old.
Trafalgar Square, across from Buckingham Palace. A popular place for protests and visitors alike. Once famous for feeding the pigeons, the sale of birdseed at Trafalgar Square was outlawed in 2000, and in 2007 an outright ban on feeding the birds altogether, was secured.
Probably one of my biggest, or perhaps, only disappointments in London, was the changing of the royal guard at Buckingham Palace. Although we arrived an hour early, there was a mob of approximately 100,000 lining the streets. We couldn't even get close to seeing the actual changing of the guard, the closest we came was the gate (pictured below.) However, since they are planning a big bash for the queen's birthday next month, the royal guards have been practicing their parade 3 times a week, so we got to see them marching, bands, horses and all. Not exactly as fun as the Rose Bowl Parade, or the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, but definitely formal and interesting.

Westminster Abbey & Houses of Parliament

Westminster Abbey, through the trees...unfortunately, it was closed to visitors on this lovely day. There were hundreds of people pressed up against the gate just trying to glimpse in when they would open it's great doors.
I found one window where the sun was shining enough through the building and the window, that I could see it on the other side. This place is simply stunning. Get a load of this--the first Westminster church was founded on this site in 616 A.D. Can you believe that--1400 years ago! The stone abbey was built between 1045-1050, and has and since 1066, housed the coronation of every British monarch with the exception of Henry III in the early 1200's. FASCINATING!
The exterior of the abbey is covered with some of the most beautiful carvings you have ever seen. And as a Christian, they have a profound spiritual impact. Take this one, for example: it shows Christ seated on His heavenly throne surrounded by angels. Below him are His 12 disciples, whom He commissioned to share the good news. Below the 12 disciples, it portrays the people that were touched by the disciples--kings, priests, and the common man--us.
Now, on to the Houses of Parliament. It's buildings contain almost 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases, and 4 miles of hallways.
The exterior of this building is also exquisite. If you look closely, you will see that The Lord's Prayer is written in Latin around the entire building, over and over again.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Theater Fever


On every corner near Oxford Circus and Picadilly Circus, you can see the marquees to London's famous productions. Then there are about a thousand others that you have never heard of. Our driver told us that in this one square mile of London, there are more theaters than there are on all of the Broadway district in NYC. Here are pictures of 3 of my favorites and 2 others that I've heard good things about--Mama Mia and We Will Rock You. We were given amazing center/8th row seats to The Sound of Music, which is the top show in London right now. I have seen it before, but never to this degree of artistic professionalism. Even my husband was awed by the props and scenery, and he even commented on the music. It was definitely top notch!



Beuller...Beuller...anyone?


So, are you completely bored with the history lesson thus far? I just cant' help myself, I find it all fascinating. I know I was only over there for 2 full days + 2 half days, but I did manage to drag my camera everywhere we went. Can you identify this famous London landmark? It's good 'ol Big Ben. It became operational in 1859 and survived the nearby blitzes of WWII. It is known for it's very accurate timing and very reliable mechanisms. Big Ben has only stopped keeping perfect time less than a dozen times since it first began working. It holds the title of the "World's largest four-faced chiming clock." Big Ben is a pretty awesome thing to hear and to behold as you stand at the base of it and stare up at it chiming tower. And yes, due to the ground where it is located, it does lean (although they say its naked to the human eye.) Perhaps I am just not a normal human (ha ha,) or maybe its due to the angle of where I was standing and shooting upwards.

Monday, May 12, 2008

View from the Thames

Since we really had only 1 day to sight see, we thought a little boat ride up the River Thames would be a good way to quickly see a handful of sights in a short period of time. Here are a few of the highlights:

This is a reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, thatched roof and all!
The Anchor is a Pub that has been around for centuries and has been a favorite hangout to many in the literary world, including Charles Dickens.
This is one of three of Cleopatra's Needles that have been given as gifts to London, Paris & New York. This was given to London in 1819 although it was not erected until 1878 due to the cost. It also sustained damage during WWII that was not repaired, as a reminder of what so many lost.
This fine building was once home to the Billingsgate Fish Market. It has since been moved (around 2005,) to another part of London. However, it was founded at this sight in the 1600's and this building was established in 1875. It is now used as a convention center but still has the gold fishes at the top as a reminder of what was once a world-famous fish market.
The London Eye is currently London's most popular paid tourist attraction. Lance has been on it but we simply didn't have time on this trip. It has 32 pods which represent the 32 burroughs of London. Each pod holds up to 25 people each. It is also called the "Millennium Wheel," as it took it's first spin on December 31, 1999.

The Tower and Tower Bridge

This is the Tower Bridge, not to be confused as London Bridge.
These steps lead from the Thames River up to the Tower. The Tower has served as a fortress, royal palace and a prison, housing (and executing!) many famous persons since 1078 A.D., when the original portion of the building was construced by William the Conqueror. Also, since 1303, it has been home to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
The only "pretty" picture I took on the Tower property.
A corner shot of the compound...the green at the bottom was once a very treacherous moat, formidable to cross!
Check out my cool shades. Lance says they make me look like a fly. Ha ha.