Hillbillies in Europe, Part Deux!

Only in Paris...

2007-08-19T12:30:00.001-07:00

SANY0183
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

...does the no-no bin at the airport have padded hand-cuffs in it. Also a ton of switchblades?

So, let me tell you all about the Jack Bauer "24" style escape from the airport on our way to Edinburgh. It started on the Metro, when I was presented with 2 different stops for the airport. A seemingly knowledgeable man told us British Airways was at Terminal 3 and we got off there. It was a loooooooooong walk from there and when we arrived it turned out to be the wrong BA, our flight was in terminal 1. That required the same long walk in reverse and a train ride to get there and time was running out.

We turned around and got just a little way when we (along with everyone) were stopped by police from proceeding. we could see a ways across the hall and folks were stopped there too. No one knew what was going on and my 10th grade French was not helping me. We went outside by the road and it was blocked as well. We had 40 mins to our flight and the situation required some imagination.

I called Chloe and had her DL the airport plans to my PDA and I noticed there was an elevator to the lower level parking. We took it all the way down in hopes of finding another elevator up behind the police blockade. No such luck!

With no other way out we wheeled our 3 huge suitcases and a baby in a stroller up all three parking ramps to daylight. Mind, you there were no pedestrian ramps and we got a few beeps and French cursing along the way. At the top, we had to limbo under a wooden parking gate and roll along in heavy traffic across the street and into the terminal. We managed to pop in right in the middle of the still blocked terminal. We quickly went to the side we needed to be and headed on to the train and the right terminal where we barely made the plane.

Connie was very annoyed by all this but later had to admit we wouldn't made the flight without the shenanigans.

Landed at Edinburgh, got to our flat just fine, the only downside was its third floor location (4th if you count the outside steps). It was about a block from the Royal Mile and right next to the steps that led to the castle. Great!

We grabbed lunch at Monster Mash (better version of S&M Cafe), all potatoes and sausage, Duncan had Haggis, which I tried, not too bad, a bit spicy.

Then our consumption of the Fringe Festival began. The girls and I had a puppet show on Grassmarket just down the steps from our apartment, it was very French and very good.

Then the boys and Margaret watched Lillian while Connie and I went to see "Debbie does Dallas, the Musical". I thought that it would be fun and entertaining, but I was not prepared to love it. The performers were top quality and i laughed my ass off.

Late that night the boys and I went to the "Circus of Horrors". The poster said welcome to the Evil-ution, that should have been a clue about how cheezy it was going to be. There were garden variety freaks, terrible music (opened with the ringmaster, a fake Riff Raff, singing Sympathy for the Devil), and some pretty good acrobats. The show was saved by a super hot chick swinging from the big top.

Then after maybe the longest day of my life, we headed back.

Videos:
Debbie does Dallas, the Musical
Street performer in Edinburgh
Circus cheek piercing.
Hot savior of teh circus!

Last day in Paree.

2007-08-18T09:27:00.001-07:00

SANY0040
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

Saw this guy on the way over to "Le Marais". Not fully sure what was up, but it seems some kids were being detained for some reason.

Anyhoo, Le Marais is (according to authority, Kimberly Olechowski) " ... the only section that Haussman didn't tear through and build massive tree-lined boulevards. Instead this former swamp-turned-jewish-ghetto-turned-gay-friendly-fashionable-arrondissement is full of winding cobblestone streets and tons of charm.".

I have to agree. We had a blast tooling around here, got a great Fallefal and ended up at the Pompidou Centre, which contained a great modern art museum. The boys took the day off and missed out!

Definately not enough time in Paris. Next time I guess.

Videos:
Mmmmm, Falafel!
Lillian has an artistic future.
Then again, so does Margoo!
Pic: Here is the result.

Some Eiffel thing...

2007-08-18T08:34:00.001-07:00

SANY0087
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

More rain in the AM, but it did not keep us from getting our bread, croissants and pastries.

We all then headed out to Notre Dame. It was really emotional to go inside. Even with a thousand tourists and souvenir penny stamping machines it was a very spiritual place.

Afterwards we headed to the Eiffel Tower and luckily was able to jump in a new line and get up pretty quickly, which was good since on the ground we were being besieged by gypsy's claiming to be Saudi princes in need of our help.

It was very cool to go up the tower, but it was super crowded and it took forever to get down once we decided to go.

Back to home base, where we dined on my yummy veal stew creation.

Videos:
French Blues?
When kids attack.
Going up.

Finally, we go on to Paris.

2007-08-13T10:30:00.001-07:00

SANY0091
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

Well, its really 3 full days into our Edinburgh leg, but the combined mediocrity of the Parisian and Scottish Internet connections has made uploading pics and vids a tedious chore.

The trip on the Eurostar train was great, very easy, full of views of charming French countryside. We arrived at Gare du Nord and anxiously anticipated the language barrier. As we had been told before, most folks spoke English, that and our combined kindergarten French got us on the RER train to the Quartier Latin in the vicinity of our flat. A few blocks of aimless wandering and we found it, a charming Frenchman awaiting us with keys and a ton of indecipherable instructions.

The flat was across the street from the Sorbonne and really cool, beams in the ceilings, a balcony, same tiny appliances, and German MTV and French Simpsons on the telly.

We got settled and Connie and I spent a long time looking for a supermarket. After shopping, we were so tired we got take out burgers from Quick - we got 4 "Menu le Simpsons" super sized of course. When she asked if we wanted ketchup, I said of course, we're Americans. Made her smile at least. The meals came with French Simpson's glasses - awesome!

After dinner, I got the bright idea to rush to the Eiffel Tower to get tickets before 10:30. Of course, it was a disaster, we got there, but too late. We hung out on some view area and beat off the street vendors for a while, then took teh Metro back to our area. We came out an unfamiliar metro exit and as we got to the top of the stairs i said loudly to no one in particular "Where the hell are we?", a passing American yelled sarcastically "You're at Notre Dame!" I looked up and there it was - lovely in the evening. We stared at it a bit, then headed back to our apartment going through a crazy bunch of alleys filled with gyros and crepe stands... deux crepes later, we were asleep.

The next day Connie and I went in search of the pattisserie, buying tons of bread and pastries... yum! Unfortunately the heavens opened up and it pissed rain, we ducked into a lousy cafe and waited it out. See the film below.

I'll try to post some more, but it appears the blog has lost its almost real time flavor.

Videos:
Train busker on the way to la Tour Eiffel.
Le premiere crepe!
Crap, it rained hard!

Liilian sums it up.

2007-08-09T01:15:00.001-07:00

SANY0020
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

Last full day in London and we decided to hit up the British Museum. It was a hopeless task, you could spend a whole week there if you wanted. Great antiquities from every age, but we got a late start, it wsa a long complicated series of pipes and tubeing to get there and everyone was burnt!

We hurried back to Portabello Rd.to get our laundry and finally have some fish and chips; very greasy and enough chips to feed an army!

We got all packed for our early departure on the Eurostar through the Chunnel and off to Gare de Nord in Paris.

Videos:
Buttscratcher
Stroller Portage - one of many.

Speakers Corner, then we fizzle.

2007-08-08T02:13:00.001-07:00

SANY0147
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

Sunday AM, we are able to rouse the girls and head out to Hyde Park and the famous Speaker's Corner to see public discourse at its finest. It was a bit disappointing, a bit light on the discourse, a bit heavy on the looney.

Margaret and I then rented a paddle boat and headed out. I don't like to speak poorly of people, especially my own daughter, but she is a terrible paddler! My back still hurts from struggling back to the dock against the wind.

Margaret was determined to swim after that so we paid to go to the private swimming area and headed on in. Of course, the water was too cold for my little CA girl, so she and Lillian played with the rest of the children of privilege in the paddling pool and playground while I leered, glanced really, at the topless bathers. Mostly grandmas, but a few decent ones.

Lamb chops, colcannon, and minty peas for dinner at the flat, a little Big Brother and we are done.

Videos:
Speaker #1
Speaker #2
Speaker #3 My favorite!
I do all the work!

Admiral Duncan - proud leader!

2007-08-07T11:41:00.001-07:00

SANY0107
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

Still playing catch up here while waiting a out a little rain shower in Paris.

Sat nite after the fete, I took the boys out to Picadilly Circus heading to the comedy store. We forgot the boys passports, so upon mistakenly being sent to the Comedy Theatre, we decided to make lemons out of lemonade and see "Boeing, Boeing", the "hilarious" revival of the 60's classic featuring Rhea Perlman. Well, in this instance the lemonade was still pretty sour. Not so funny, but still entertaining... should have been suspicious that tix were still available on a Saturday night.

Afterwards, I lit up a cigar (Dunhill purchased duty free) and we headed out walking - got a little turned around and went through Chintown, to SoHo, Carnaby and Bond Streets, Charing Cross, Oxford Circus.... we were lost and probably walked about 5 miles.

The highlight was finding the Admiral Duncan, which after taking this picture, we discovered by careful examination of the clientele was a gay bar. Hmmm.... strange, gay people in SoHo? Who wouda thunk it. Duncan proudly accepts the immense responsibility of leading his people.

We stumbled along down a seedy alley where we were offered pot, hash, and a nudie show, "you know like strippers" the guy said. we slogged ahead soon finding the Tube home.

Video: (sorry just one, but a good one.
Wise words from someone in handcuffs!

The Innocent Village Fete - Regents Park

2007-08-06T01:55:00.001-07:00

SANY0022
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

Started Saturday at The Innocent Village Fete, a music/children/eco-friendly festival. There was great food (I had a back bacon, egg, and sharp cheddar sandwich with tomato relish... YUM!), music and all kinds of stuff for the smaller kids to do.

The Londoners showed up in force. I guess it's sunny so infrequently that when it's nice they really embrace it. Was great for us, since they crowded up the sunny spots and left plenty of shade for the still sunburnt Americans.

Margaret and I rode the Super Duper Helter Skelter and all day long after that I called her Squeeky Fromme. We spent a bunch of time watching a good bluegrass band and caught some underwhelming dog agility.

Oh, the whole thing was sponsored by Innocent Smothies, hence the moniker.

Videos:
Hungry UK Squirrel.
Margoo works the ball pit.
Helter Skelter! The carnival slide, not the murder spree.
A bit of bluegrass, from a band called "Cole Porter".

ALERT - ALERT - SPECIAL BULLETIN

2007-08-05T07:42:00.001-07:00

P7280040
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

The wedding video is finally available for all you masochists who did not get enough lovey-dovey sachirine nonsense live and in person.

It's still not as good as I'd like it, but I am not as willing to deal with the challenges of digital video conversion and uploading while on the road as I normally would be and Google is the only service that'll take video over 10 minutes long.

Soon, I'll tell you of the last 2 days of the Innocent Fete, Boeing Boeing, Speaker's Corner, paddleboats and swimming. Soon.

Videos:
Finally, the wedding vid!

Tate Modern, a treasure!

2007-08-04T01:34:00.001-07:00

S6300229
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

The photo of a Roy Lichtenstein was surreptitiously taken by Ian; NO PHOTOGRAPHY allowed at the Tate, but Ian got a few and I took some videos.

What a great museum. It was made from an old power station and the structure is massive and functional, with 7 floors of exhibits.

There was an interactive kids area that taught them about the movements in art from the early 20th century to the present. All of us played the Salvador Dali game, with Ian winning eventually.

I was lucky enough to latch onto a tour where the guide was talking about Marcel Duchamp's "Bride stripped bare by her bachelors (The Large Glass)". One of my favorite artists and his most famous work. The Tate's is an authorized repro from artist Scott Hamilton, the original is in Philadelphia, I saw it a few months ago.

The highlight of the visit was the Dali exhibit. Ian had really been looking forward and we weren't disappointed. Tons of paintings and all of his film and even video work. Margaret really loved "Un Chien Andalou", just kidding, it horrified her, though she admitted it was interesting too.

Well, this has gone on and on.

Videos:
"Un Chien Andalou" - Full Video
"Destino", a Dali/Disney collaboration, finally finished. My vid is a bit dark in places, but better than nothing.
"Barrel Roll", by Steve McQueen - 1998 (the artist, not the actor)
Part of Duchamp lecture about "The Large Glass". Cut off by museum security :(

Margaret gets dressed for the Arctic.

2007-08-03T15:11:00.001-07:00

SANY0049
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

So, back to yesterday (Thurs. 8/2). Just me and the the girls headed out to the Natural History Museum near Hyde park. It was very cool and interactive in parts, which Margaret liked, a bit old and boring in other parts. Lillian liked it all. The coolest exhibit (hahaha, get it? Cool!) was the Arctic explorer hands on training. Margaret and I got to go in a -10 degree Celsius freezer to experience the cold, try on some gear and play interactive games to try our Arctic researcher skills. Pretty cool, our scores, etc. are available on a Web site where we can do more stuff. My fav part was analyzing penguin puke, Margaret's was playing a snowmobile video game.

After that it was back to the flat for homemade spaghetti dinner, then Connie and I took of to the West End for an evening of high brow theatre. Actually, not too high brow. It was "The 39 Steps" performed in an awesomely funny fashion with just 4 actors playing all the parts. It really was great!

After the play, we took off looking for our favorite Lebanese candy shop, got a bit lost, but thank heavens we found it. The owner (a really classically macho Lebanese guy with tight trousers and a fertility horn hanging from his neck) remembered us from last year and asked about the baby, which was nice. 18 quid later, we headed home.

Videos:
Freeze test for Arctic research recruits.
Lillian makes a break for it!
Bus news from Margaret Future in journalism?
Curtain call from the show.

Tiny washer/dryer - Tiny fridge...

2007-08-03T11:44:00.001-07:00

SANY0014
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

... to bad I don't have a tiny family.

We are shopping at Tesco's every day, but it's only 2 blocks away so it's no problem. They have awesome prepared and convenience foods. My favourite is the custard and jam doghnuts.

The apt. is perfect for us, not too fancy, two rooms with double beds and a pull-out in the living room. High speed wireless is much appreciated, though the TV selections are pretty weak with the only highlight being 24 hour Big Brother.

Here is where we are if you want to visit.

Bataan Death March!

2007-08-03T03:06:00.001-07:00

SANY0099
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

As Margaret reported below, we started the day at the Science Museum, on to lunch at Pret a Manger, then a cigar in Hyde Park, off to the Thames river cruise, then a ride on the London Eye... oh, and dinner at EAT, a Pret a Manger knock off that was actually better. Yes, that's right sandwiches again. Got to eat when you can with 4 kids.

The museum was cool, I got this mysterious pic of the boys in the plastics exhibition. My fav of the day was cigar in Hyde Park... relaxing.

The cruise was nice, the Eye was fun, the crowds were immense.

As i write this we are off to Portobello Rd. Market and the Tate Modern. Maybe I'll get time to tell you about Thursday later.
Videos:
Lilly loses her mind at Harrod's
What is echo?!
Nerd alert! Educational DDR.
Bobbie-Mime-Ballerina? Huh?
Footie wizard. Only one deserving any $$$.
Stupid baby tricks.
We got high! Heh heh...
Lilly grinds the rail!

Me and Daddy

2007-08-02T10:10:00.001-07:00

S6300036
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

First off, in the style of my creative inspiration, "The Family Circus", I am having Margaret compose this entry...

We went to the science museum and saw the Energy Hall showing how things were made - including plastic. In the Energy Hall was an exhibit called "Don't Touch" that shocked you when you touched it! It felt shocky!

After that we had lunch, I had fruit salad and a coke and chips, though they call them crisps here.

After that we went to Hyde Park and looked as geese and water and boats and water and trees and dogs... I saw a lot of things!

Then we took a tube ride to the London Eye and to the river boat ride. My favorite was the boat tour 'cuz it was cool.

Check out all my pix at this link

Videos:
I get a shock!

Actually stands for Sausage and Mash...

2007-07-31T14:46:00.001-07:00

SANY0023
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

And we had some...... yummy!

After a little nap we set out to explore Portabello Rd. It turms out the our apt. is in Cambridge Gardens in Kensington, right next to Notting Hill. It is a really cool neighborhood, filled with shops, open air markets, etc.

We did our shopping at Tesco, buying as much as we could carry and filling up on Cadbury Flake and Fry's Turkish delight - I expect to have to buy another seat on the airplane on our return.

Everybody is doing well - tomorrow we take a short bus ride to the Knightsbridge area for a trip to Hyde Park, Harrods, and the science museum. In the evening we are off to cruise the Thames, then rise majestically to the heavens in the London Eye.

Videos:
Din-din fly over.
Really old Salvation Army and some singing...

We're off!

2007-07-30T15:33:00.001-07:00

SANY0063
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

5 hours early with stops planned at Kaiser, CompUSA, and IronPort.

You can barely see poor Margaret crammed in the back with 3 lg suitcases and a stroller.

More pics and vids soon. We finallly board in about 25 minutes, then just a short 11 hours to touch down.

bye.

Video:
The kids start already!

We weeped, we partied... great fun all around!

2007-07-30T15:30:00.001-07:00

SANY0036
Originally uploaded by kinglarvae

As soon as I get some better bandwidth (tomorrow AM in the UK) than a Sprint card I will put up all the pics I have as well as a few videos.

Thanks to all who attended or who was there in spirit. I had so much fun and it was very important for me to share this with you.

Check back soon!

Video:
***Finally, the full wedding vid!***
G-Pa shows Auntie Dana the moves that made him famous in Moline, IL.
Sarah rocks the bouncy house

Keep your eyes peeled for Weir adventures here.

2007-07-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

Pix and vids coming soon.

For last Summer's UK experience go here

TTFN.