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 craters
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