Cruise down the river Thames

From the Westminster Pier to Greenwich and back.

The next day, we hopped on a plane to Tuscany...

Christmas celebrated? Check.

We celebrated in a wonderfully low-key fashion this year.

Christmas Eve was a finger-foods-only picnic next to the Christmas tree.


It was fun, messy, and will be easier when H1 is a little older.


We read the Nativity story, and opened the obligatory new PJ's (best picture available, can you believe it?).


Christmas morning, we all slept in until 8 (hallelujah!), and then raced downstairs. Our morning had two very distinct themes: knights and food. W1 and L1 received knight costumes, books, figures, and games to their delight. And H1 is now equipped to whip up a gourmet meal.

Santa brought sleds, so later in the afternoon we were off to the nearest sledding hill.


We found out that H1 is an adrenaline junkie. Every time W1 or L1 would head off down the hill without her, she would fling herself to the ground and try to follow, penguin-style.


We stayed until we were chilled to the bone,


then ran back home to feast on roast chicken, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and lumpy gravy. Delicious!

But, I think the crowning achievement of the entire holiday was my decision to forgo pie-making and do this, instead:


Chocolate chip cookie and peppermint ice cream sandwiches. Beats the snot out of pumpkin pie any day.

A day trip from London

Bright and early one morning we boarded a train and headed east to Canterbury.

Seasoned travelers?

Walking from the train station on a bridge, we immediately saw the old city wall.

As we followed the path along the top of the wall we enjoyed a marvelous view,

and soon spied the coolest playground ever.

In Canterbury, there is an old Norman castle, which was unfortunately closed for repairs. It was this castle that prompted W1 to request that we see a castle that "isn't old and crumbly".

We walked toward the city center and the cathedral, stopping in the pedestrian shopping area for lunch and a dessert-Nutella-filled-crepe.

Perhaps we should have stopped and stayed here? And never left?


From the shopping area, it's directly through the cathedral gate,


and into the cathedral square.

The cathedral is enormous.

We wandered around inside for a good amount of time, admiring the unimaginably vast spaces and beautiful stained glass.

W1 and L1 surprised us by how quiet and respectful they were. It did help that the Black Prince's tomb is in the cathedral and the effigy involves complete suit of armor.

After the cathedral, we ran around the pedestrian area, stopped in a toy shop or two, purchased dinner in a neat indoor farmer's market,

and, finally, grabbed the last train west to London.

Look, we're all bright and shiny!

Thanks Brandon for the awesome family photo.

I confess, I am a closet Anglophile

One cold morning, we decided to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We were a little late (and by that I mean right on time, not standing at the gates since the crack of dawn), so we didn't have the best view:


But the kids enjoyed it since it involved soldiers and horses.


We then walked through Green Park:


Then along Piccadilly and Regent Street (with a stop in Hamley's) to the Carnaby Street shopping area:


We met my brother Brody for some fish and chips:


Then we were off to the Imperial War Museum, which I enjoyed way more than I expected to.

For R1, they had an exhibit about spying and espionage, for me there was an exhibit on the Second World War including war propaganda and a replica 1940's row house, and for W1 and L1 there were planes, tanks and submarines.

We saw only a fraction of the exhibits, and would gladly return if we had a chance!

Hampton Court Palace

We spent an entire day away from London visiting Hampton Court Palace. It was misty and foggy, making it quite atmospheric and moody, appropriate for a place with such a long history.


We toured some of the apartments and chambers, took a very long walk around the grounds (we may have gotten a tiny bit lost), successfully navigated the Garden Maze, and dodged giddy British schoolchildren.