We've known it was coming for a while, but I am nonetheless surprised to find that it is the last day of our family sabbatical. Tomorrow, we board the plane for Washington DC, and on Tuesday we will be back home in Santa Cruz. We've enjoyed our short time in London, doing the best that four weary travelers can do with a city that is big, loud, full of people, and overloaded with attractions. We've done a walking tour and hit all the main sights, had the Tower of London Experience (i.e. the visit that costs 50 pounds), visited Hamley's Toy store (our first stop, in fact, at Jonah's urging--and, yes, it met all of his expectations), and seen two shows, the wonderful, engaging Billy Elliot, and the longest-running show in London, The Mousetrap. These were perfect choices for our family. Billy Elliot has a great story, an amazing cast of actors, singers and dancers, and a feel-good message that keeps you smiling as you walk out the door after the upbeat finale. I have always been a fan of musicals and this ranks right up there as one of my all time favorites. The Mousetrap is a fun and surprising murder mystery, which we all really enjoyed from our second row seats. Great ways to wrap up our adventure. There is so much more to do and see here. London is definitely on my list of places to return to. As for photos from this part of our trip, I know we have some, but they have yet to be downloaded. I will try to add some over the coming days, for those of you who are still interested.
Today, we will do a little shopping, visit the British Museum, and enjoy the beautiful weather (yes, we FINALLY got some!) as we wander around the city. Tomorrow, as our plane lifts off from Heathrow Airport, we will carry with us not only 5 worn and heavy pieces of luggage, but 5 months of amazing stories and memories, and four full and very happy hearts. Thanks for following us. We will see you soon!!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Forty Shades of Green
As we near the end of our adventure, we're slowing down a bit on the sightseeing. However, during the week we've been in Ireland, we've already driven over 1000 kilometers (on the left side of the road, I might add), so maybe we haven't slowed down that much. After our overnight ferry crossing from France, we started our Irish tour with a visit to the Blarney Stone to get the gift of gab. Jonah was hoping this would enable him to talk his way out of his remaining school work. Unfortunately for him, I kissed the stone too, so I was able to talk him right back into it.
From Blarney Castle, we proceeded to Callan, the ancestral Tobin town. After all the old bridges, churches and towns we've seen in our nearly 5 months of traveling, it was a different experience to see some with a real family connection and to know that our kids' ancestors walked these same roads.
We've since driven both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula loop, and thanks to Rick, we were able to avoid chains of massive tour busses on the narrow, winding roads. Did I mention that I'm driving on the left side? We visited the Rock of Cashel, a number of stone ring forts, the Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren--several quintessential Irish sites. The weather has been a bit cool and quite windy, and, of course, we've had some rain, but the landscapes are magnificent. The hills truly are, as Johnny Cash said, 40 shades of green.
In addition to our sightseeing and learning about Irish history, we have picked up a new pasttime--pitch and putt. I'm not sure if this is something that exists in the US, but I think it may be the equivalent of par-3 golfing (well, not for us . . . ). This has been an interesting and humbling activity, but the scenery is fabulous!
This week, we will drive across Ireland and end our time here with three days in Dublin. Then, it's on to London for 5 days, and back home, via Washington DC, where we will spend a long weekend visiting with Tom's family. As the end of our trip draws near, we find ourselves thinking of our lives at home--our friends, our home, our cat, our legos. We are excited to be reunited with the people and things we have missed, although it's hard to imagine the end of our adventure. Jonah and Sierra are both working on writing their reflections on our experiences (OK, it's not a voluntary activity, but they're reflecting nonetheless). Perhaps some day I will have my own reflections to share. For now, I think I'm blogged out! However, as Tom noted, a picture is worth a thousand words (or at least 5 megabytes), so I will try to keep posting some of those until the trip is done. Thanks to those of you who have followed along over these months. It's been fun sharing our stories and knowing that there are actually a few people out there who want to read them. We love you all and look forward to sharing more stories, and slideshows (short, I promise!) upon our return.
Jonah does his part to try to get the gift of gabFrom Blarney Castle, we proceeded to Callan, the ancestral Tobin town. After all the old bridges, churches and towns we've seen in our nearly 5 months of traveling, it was a different experience to see some with a real family connection and to know that our kids' ancestors walked these same roads.
We've since driven both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula loop, and thanks to Rick, we were able to avoid chains of massive tour busses on the narrow, winding roads. Did I mention that I'm driving on the left side? We visited the Rock of Cashel, a number of stone ring forts, the Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren--several quintessential Irish sites. The weather has been a bit cool and quite windy, and, of course, we've had some rain, but the landscapes are magnificent. The hills truly are, as Johnny Cash said, 40 shades of green.
The Rock of Cashel
Ring fort on a rainy day
Just a few of the 40 shades
Cliffs of MoherIn addition to our sightseeing and learning about Irish history, we have picked up a new pasttime--pitch and putt. I'm not sure if this is something that exists in the US, but I think it may be the equivalent of par-3 golfing (well, not for us . . . ). This has been an interesting and humbling activity, but the scenery is fabulous!
This week, we will drive across Ireland and end our time here with three days in Dublin. Then, it's on to London for 5 days, and back home, via Washington DC, where we will spend a long weekend visiting with Tom's family. As the end of our trip draws near, we find ourselves thinking of our lives at home--our friends, our home, our cat, our legos. We are excited to be reunited with the people and things we have missed, although it's hard to imagine the end of our adventure. Jonah and Sierra are both working on writing their reflections on our experiences (OK, it's not a voluntary activity, but they're reflecting nonetheless). Perhaps some day I will have my own reflections to share. For now, I think I'm blogged out! However, as Tom noted, a picture is worth a thousand words (or at least 5 megabytes), so I will try to keep posting some of those until the trip is done. Thanks to those of you who have followed along over these months. It's been fun sharing our stories and knowing that there are actually a few people out there who want to read them. We love you all and look forward to sharing more stories, and slideshows (short, I promise!) upon our return.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The Pull of the Moon
Our last two days in France were spent in Loquirec and Roscoff, on the northern coast. We were SO thankful finally to experience some nice weather. Sunny skies and warm breezes have done wonders for my spirit after the weeks of cold and rain. Along with the beautiful weather, we enjoyed some down time and relaxation, before heading off to Ireland on the overnight ferry. We had a picnic lunch and took a nice hike along a point covered in pink granite rocks in all sorts of interesting formations.
Later, we returned to the beach across the street from the B&B where we stayed. The tidal changes here are incredible. There is at least a half mile difference in the shoreline here between high tide and low. All the boats that are floating in the water at high tide are left stranded on the beach at low tide, hopelessly leaning on their sides. We saw a dramatic demonstration of the tidal changes when we took a short ferry out to an island off of Roscoff. We boarded at the pier where the cars parked, noticing as we left a very long bridge that went from the pier into the water. The bridge to nowhere! When we returned to Roscoff, the purpose of the bridge became obvious, as our ferry motored up to the end of it and let the passengers off. It is hard to really capture it in photos, but here are a few examples.
Later, we returned to the beach across the street from the B&B where we stayed. The tidal changes here are incredible. There is at least a half mile difference in the shoreline here between high tide and low. All the boats that are floating in the water at high tide are left stranded on the beach at low tide, hopelessly leaning on their sides. We saw a dramatic demonstration of the tidal changes when we took a short ferry out to an island off of Roscoff. We boarded at the pier where the cars parked, noticing as we left a very long bridge that went from the pier into the water. The bridge to nowhere! When we returned to Roscoff, the purpose of the bridge became obvious, as our ferry motored up to the end of it and let the passengers off. It is hard to really capture it in photos, but here are a few examples.
Medium tide
The same spot at low tide
Part of the bridge
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A Firsthand View of American History
This week, between Memorial Day and D-Day, we visited several WWII sites during our time in the Normandy region of France. The kids have not studied this war very much in school, so we welcomed this opportunity to give them some information and perspective on this landmark event in US and world history. Here in Normandy, the focus, understandably, is on D-Day and the Normandy invasion, certainly a turning point in the war. Without a firm foundation on the war, the kids were a bit adrift during our visit to the Normandy Battle Museum in Bayeux. Fortunately, in their bookstore we found a primer on WWII, which we purchased on the spot and read in our car during one of the many rainy intervals that day. Yes, it was still raining.
Newly armed with a little perspective on the war, the next day (sunny!) we headed out to visit Omaha Beach, the American cemetary, and Pointe du Hoc. While our visit to Omaha beach was relatively benign (it looks a bit like Manresa--a long, wide, beautiful stretch of sand and sea), the subsequent visits were quite sobering and truly brought the horrors of war to life for our family. The American cemetary, with its visitors' center and somber, orderly, expansive grounds, is a profoundly moving place. The film of several soldiers' surviving relatives recounting the lives of their loved ones before they were prematurely ended by the war brought me to tears. Even having seen the bird's eye view of the cemetary grounds in that film, I still felt a catch in my throat as I came over the ridge and saw the sea of simple white crosses covering the acres of perfectly manicured green grass. Anyone who is not affected by the news of war casualties should spend an hour walking through one of the many spots that mark the final resting place of those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. As we left the cemetary that day, our drive was marked by the most prolonged and profound silence that we have had in our 5 weeks of driving through France.
Omaha Beach
A small slice of the American Cemetary at Bayeux, where over 9000 American soldiers who participated in the D-Day invasion were buried.
After leaving the cemetary, we drove to Pointe du Hoc, where the American forces first attacked on D-day. This strategic location that was so key to the Allied success in that operation has been maintained in much the same condition as it was following the attack. The area is riddled with bomb craters, destroyed bunkers, and rusty barbed wire, which all serve to make the destruction wrought by war even more clear. After these experiences, I believe our kids will have a more empathetic and visceral understanding of US history and the realities of war.
Newly armed with a little perspective on the war, the next day (sunny!) we headed out to visit Omaha Beach, the American cemetary, and Pointe du Hoc. While our visit to Omaha beach was relatively benign (it looks a bit like Manresa--a long, wide, beautiful stretch of sand and sea), the subsequent visits were quite sobering and truly brought the horrors of war to life for our family. The American cemetary, with its visitors' center and somber, orderly, expansive grounds, is a profoundly moving place. The film of several soldiers' surviving relatives recounting the lives of their loved ones before they were prematurely ended by the war brought me to tears. Even having seen the bird's eye view of the cemetary grounds in that film, I still felt a catch in my throat as I came over the ridge and saw the sea of simple white crosses covering the acres of perfectly manicured green grass. Anyone who is not affected by the news of war casualties should spend an hour walking through one of the many spots that mark the final resting place of those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. As we left the cemetary that day, our drive was marked by the most prolonged and profound silence that we have had in our 5 weeks of driving through France.
Omaha Beach
A small slice of the American Cemetary at Bayeux, where over 9000 American soldiers who participated in the D-Day invasion were buried.
After leaving the cemetary, we drove to Pointe du Hoc, where the American forces first attacked on D-day. This strategic location that was so key to the Allied success in that operation has been maintained in much the same condition as it was following the attack. The area is riddled with bomb craters, destroyed bunkers, and rusty barbed wire, which all serve to make the destruction wrought by war even more clear. After these experiences, I believe our kids will have a more empathetic and visceral understanding of US history and the realities of war.
Pointe du Hoc bomb cratersMonday, May 31, 2010
Obelisks
I've noticed that obelisks aren't just in Egypt they are also in (top to bottom) Italy (2nd pic ) and France (3rd pic) the fist pic is in Egypt. The Italy one is stolen and the France one was a gift. By Jonah
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Stalactites, castles, and Paris
Normally, on an afternoon as lovely as this in Paris in May, we would all be out enjoying the sights and sounds of this great city. Sadly, however, both Sierra and I have been struck by a rather nasty cold and here we sit, in our cozy apartment on our computers. We did manage to rally this morning and climb up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower, then take the elevator to the top (and both of us were VERY thankful that the only way to the top is via that elevator), but an afternoon outing was a bit more than we could handle. Believe it or not, it is actually quite hot here today, so Tom and Jonah headed out to the science museum and we're sure they'll survive without us for a little while.
Before arriving in Paris on Saturday afternoon, we had a couple of fascinating experiences that I would highly recommend to any family traveling to France. The first one, last Thursday, was a visit to the Gouffre de Padirac, in Rocamadour. In contrast to the Lascaux-style cave-drawing caves, this is a stalactite/stalagmite cave--one of epic proportions. I have never been in a cave of this sort (the one we visited in the Sierras with our friends several years ago was nothing like this), and I must say it was breathtaking. We made our descent on stairs through the massive hole in the ground, to a depth of 103 meters, and onto the path running through the cave. After walking several hundred meters and enjoying the already amazing sights, we reached the spot where the cave river demands that visitors are ferried along, gondolier-style, to the other side. We enjoyed this part very much, although even a non-French speaker such as myself was able to interpret that our French speaking guide made the exact same jokes on the way in and out. Once on the shore at the other side, we followed our tour guide as we marveled at the vast open space, clear, beautiful river and ponds, water and lime-made natural dams and waterfalls, and stalactites of every shape and size. The only disappointment about this visit is that they do not allow photographs to be taken inside the cave. If they did, I imagine Sierra might still be in there. We had to get some photos off the web just to show a glimpse of the experience we had (it's not actually us in that photo, but you get the idea).
Our other unusual and very interesting experience before arriving in Paris, was our visit to Guedelon, a medieval-style castle being built right now almost entirely using 13th century building techniques. Begun in the late 90's by a dedicated team of enthusiasts, this castle will be completed over a 25-year time frame, providing jobs for 50 people, and an educational experience for thousands. It is fascinating to see the work being done and to try to imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago when the considerations that go into the construction were matters of life and death, not simply issues of historical accuracy. If you don't think you'll be able to make it there in person, I recommend checking out the website, which has lots of great photos and information: www.guedelon.org. Very cool place.
Despite our sickness, we have managed to hit the top three sites in Paris so far, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Luxembourg Gardens. We have strolled the streets and found our favorite local patisserie (very important). We have lots more on our list--too much, in fact, to complete in the few days we have left--and we hope that the weather and our bodies will cooperate so that we can enjoy the many opportunities this city has to offer.
Before arriving in Paris on Saturday afternoon, we had a couple of fascinating experiences that I would highly recommend to any family traveling to France. The first one, last Thursday, was a visit to the Gouffre de Padirac, in Rocamadour. In contrast to the Lascaux-style cave-drawing caves, this is a stalactite/stalagmite cave--one of epic proportions. I have never been in a cave of this sort (the one we visited in the Sierras with our friends several years ago was nothing like this), and I must say it was breathtaking. We made our descent on stairs through the massive hole in the ground, to a depth of 103 meters, and onto the path running through the cave. After walking several hundred meters and enjoying the already amazing sights, we reached the spot where the cave river demands that visitors are ferried along, gondolier-style, to the other side. We enjoyed this part very much, although even a non-French speaker such as myself was able to interpret that our French speaking guide made the exact same jokes on the way in and out. Once on the shore at the other side, we followed our tour guide as we marveled at the vast open space, clear, beautiful river and ponds, water and lime-made natural dams and waterfalls, and stalactites of every shape and size. The only disappointment about this visit is that they do not allow photographs to be taken inside the cave. If they did, I imagine Sierra might still be in there. We had to get some photos off the web just to show a glimpse of the experience we had (it's not actually us in that photo, but you get the idea).
Our other unusual and very interesting experience before arriving in Paris, was our visit to Guedelon, a medieval-style castle being built right now almost entirely using 13th century building techniques. Begun in the late 90's by a dedicated team of enthusiasts, this castle will be completed over a 25-year time frame, providing jobs for 50 people, and an educational experience for thousands. It is fascinating to see the work being done and to try to imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago when the considerations that go into the construction were matters of life and death, not simply issues of historical accuracy. If you don't think you'll be able to make it there in person, I recommend checking out the website, which has lots of great photos and information: www.guedelon.org. Very cool place.
Despite our sickness, we have managed to hit the top three sites in Paris so far, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Luxembourg Gardens. We have strolled the streets and found our favorite local patisserie (very important). We have lots more on our list--too much, in fact, to complete in the few days we have left--and we hope that the weather and our bodies will cooperate so that we can enjoy the many opportunities this city has to offer.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Provence, Toulouse, and the Dordogne
Hmmm. Can I really fit all three of these regions into a single blog post? I think I will need to be concise, as I have obviously fallen behind in the last two weeks. The schedule is so packed, it's hard to keep up!
For those of you following our weather woes, I am sorry to say that they continued relentlessly until about two days ago. Rain, hail, thunder, lightning, wind, and cold weather. Many, many dark threatening clouds on a daily basis. NOT what we were expecting from the first 17 days of May. However, I am happy to say that things seem to be improving! Today, it is actually warm and sunny, as it was yesterday. Monday wasn't so bad either. Not particularly warm, but it didn't rain. Perhaps there is hope for May yet. Of course, once the warm spring weather is here to stay, we'll be on our way to the rain and cold of Ireland. Sigh.
In the last 11 days, we have visited all of the following places: Mougins, St. Paul de Vence, Gourdon, Grand Canyon du Verdon, Augines, Rustrel, Rousillon, Buoux, St. Remy, Arles, Les Baux, Nimes, Escalquens (small suburb of Toulouse where we spent a wonderful weekend with our friends the Alberts), La Roque Gageac, and Les Eyzies, plus the town where we are currently staying, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Would you like to hear a little bit about each of those places? I didn't think so. Suffice it to say that we have seen: tons of fabulous scenery, many castles (both free standing and built into hillsides), old forts, quaint old walled cities, ocre cliffs, the monastery where Van Gogh painted many of his finest works, many ancient Roman ruins, good friends who we don't get to see nearly often enough, a park with life-sized scenes from prehistoric life, and prehistoric caves (both real and extremely well reproduced).
We have hiked a lot, gone canoeing twice, shopped, played petanque and volleyball, taken many pictures, run through several rain storms, seen a falconry show, launched a trebuchet (Jonah), had lunch in a creperie populated entirely by Rick readers, visited museums, and, well, you get the idea . . ..
That "super short" slide show I've been trying to create of our whole trip just gets longer and longer. Maybe I shouldn't mention that. I don't want to deter anyone from wanting to spend time with us when we return home. Here are a very few of the hundreds of photos of the last 11 days.
Just a couple of the many beautiful sights in the Grand Canyon du Verdon.
On Saturday, we head to Paris, where we will spend one week. Then, we have one more week in France before we leave for two weeks in Ireland and five days in London. Our adventure is going to be over before we know it!
For those of you following our weather woes, I am sorry to say that they continued relentlessly until about two days ago. Rain, hail, thunder, lightning, wind, and cold weather. Many, many dark threatening clouds on a daily basis. NOT what we were expecting from the first 17 days of May. However, I am happy to say that things seem to be improving! Today, it is actually warm and sunny, as it was yesterday. Monday wasn't so bad either. Not particularly warm, but it didn't rain. Perhaps there is hope for May yet. Of course, once the warm spring weather is here to stay, we'll be on our way to the rain and cold of Ireland. Sigh.
In the last 11 days, we have visited all of the following places: Mougins, St. Paul de Vence, Gourdon, Grand Canyon du Verdon, Augines, Rustrel, Rousillon, Buoux, St. Remy, Arles, Les Baux, Nimes, Escalquens (small suburb of Toulouse where we spent a wonderful weekend with our friends the Alberts), La Roque Gageac, and Les Eyzies, plus the town where we are currently staying, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Would you like to hear a little bit about each of those places? I didn't think so. Suffice it to say that we have seen: tons of fabulous scenery, many castles (both free standing and built into hillsides), old forts, quaint old walled cities, ocre cliffs, the monastery where Van Gogh painted many of his finest works, many ancient Roman ruins, good friends who we don't get to see nearly often enough, a park with life-sized scenes from prehistoric life, and prehistoric caves (both real and extremely well reproduced).
We have hiked a lot, gone canoeing twice, shopped, played petanque and volleyball, taken many pictures, run through several rain storms, seen a falconry show, launched a trebuchet (Jonah), had lunch in a creperie populated entirely by Rick readers, visited museums, and, well, you get the idea . . ..
That "super short" slide show I've been trying to create of our whole trip just gets longer and longer. Maybe I shouldn't mention that. I don't want to deter anyone from wanting to spend time with us when we return home. Here are a very few of the hundreds of photos of the last 11 days.
Paddling our way from the crystal clear lake to the Verdun River
The remains of the chapel at Fort de Boux
Jonah prepares to launch the trebuchet
Roman ruins in Nimes
Our wonderful friends, the Alberts
The Pont de Gard
On Saturday, we head to Paris, where we will spend one week. Then, we have one more week in France before we leave for two weeks in Ireland and five days in London. Our adventure is going to be over before we know it!
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