flowers on my mind

since seeing this simple, colorful arrangement get whisked together at the market in lausanne, switzerland, it has been on my mind.

it looks as though you might have just picked these as wildflowers on a walk through the swiss countryside. the casual wrapping in swiss newspaper doesn't hurt either. how beautiful would arrangements done simply with such carefree colors and composition be at a wedding--perhaps an outdoor one, with mason jars serving cold drinks? wil, should we renew our vows?

the Monument

Last week, Wiley and I headed to the City with a friend and her mom to see the Monument. After arriving at London Bridge Station and being a bit turned around, we asked the London Dungeon man with fake blood on his face for which way to go to cross London Bridge. He directed us to Tower Bridge. We didn't fall for it. So often visitors here (and I've certainly never had any of these confused friends...haha) think London Bridge (very boring bridge) is Tower Bridge (very beautiful bridge). He must have heard our accents and assumed we were confused tourists as well. We were only directionally confused semi-locals, thank you very much.

After running into Wil and Grant near Leadenhall Market, we grabbed lunch at a stand there (delicious Mediterranean meze plate) and a sandwich for the children and headed down to Monument again. Thanks to semi-often trips for a curry in the City this summer, I was able to get us to Leadenhall and back again, which is always fun. Not that it is particularly hard! :-) We annoyed the City suits trying to take in a peaceful lunch as the children chased pigeons all around the Monument.

Here it is! 313 steps to the top! I did it at almost 20 weeks--and the fact that I'm proud of this may or may not be a bit pitiful. Needless to say, the children and mamas were tired after this day of walking.

The Monument was built as well, a monument, to the Great Fire of London 1666 and the consequential rebuilding of the City. The Fire destroyed a major part of the City including damage done to St.Paul's Cathedral. The column itself is the exact distance (202 feet) between the itself and the site of the beginning of the fire on Pudding Lane. Built and designed by Christopher Wren, who also designed St. Paul's, the column was initially used by scientists to carry out experiments, but thanks to traffic, it was not stable enough to measure accurately some of those experiments. Today, for 1 GBP for a child and 3 GBP for an adult, you can climb the stairs, enjoy a great panoramic view and get a certificate at the end that says "You did it!"

Looking towards (from left): Canary Wharf (far left, tall buildings), Tower of London, Tower Bridge (not London Bridge), and Southbank area...

Looking towards Parliament (far, far left, tiny tower-like building), London Eye (big circle!)

Looking towards St. Paul's (dead center)

We waved to Wil when we looked this way! Looking at the Gherkin (pickle shaped or as Wiley says rocket-shaped building), Lloyds of London is directly in front of it with blue cranes on the top. It is an inside-out building with all of its "insides" like plumbing on the outside.

Wahoo! We did it! My friend (the mom) got a picture of the 4 of us with our certificates, hands in there, jubilant looks on our faces, V for victory signs, you name it. When I get that I'll be sure to brag, I mean show you that, one too.

All in all, I am feeling less and less inclined to do the London Eye when you discover a few other ways to get the Panorama of the skyline of London that doesn't involve hoards of people. For a cheap and quick way to see the City in particular, and Parliament from a distance, check out the Monument!

A reason to love London...

London has got to be one of the greatest {big} cities in the world when it comes to entertaining children. Not only do they have incredible green spaces with well-kept playgrounds, but free museums and occasionally a child-friendly play? Yes. Please.

From 13 August to 3 September, the West End (London's Broadway) is offering the coolest deals! Want to take your child or young teen to a big-time show? Sister Act? Wicked? Lion King? Grease? Les Mis? This is the time. When you buy your ticket (under this promotion via ticketmaster for full price), you can get a child's ( 16 and under ) ticket for free. Lion King is of course sold out, but we'll be using this deal to see Room on the Broom, based on a children's book by a popular author, Julia Donaldson (also wrote the Gruffalo). There is even a Q&A session/activity after our show. I can't imagine what the under 5s are going to ask!

Click the icon to see more from the shows being offered to different activities and workshops...I just wish Wiley was old enough to go to some of these bigger shows!

I just had to brag about this city!

It happens.

the parents had a slight septic issue at the lake. this is what appeared in my inbox this morning. obviously, i had to share this with you. happy saturday!

Cheese and Chocolate

a lovely place to stay + dear friends and new friends + cheese and chocolate = a beautiful weekend in Switzerland

Just a few pictures of our adventure in and around Lausanne!

swimming in Lake Geneva

photo compliments of Wiley

Tea Time

Afternoon tea is perhaps a most quintessential aspect of life in England, or at least it is traditionally. Occasionally substituting English Breakfast for Starbucks Verona blend, and suddenly craving a spot of tea around 3:30 p.m., I was on my way to drinking tea with my pinkie out. However, it wasn't until 9 months into our time here that I experienced my first "proper" afternoon tea.

While Cole and Raymond were visiting, the idea of afternoon tea was thrown around. At first, Raymond and I were not quite on the boat, but when I realized that it meant doing something "English" while sitting down, inside, eating and drinking, AND visiting with best friends--what more could you really want? (Thanks for the tea encouragement, Cole!)

After researching the top teas in London, we booked in at Fortnum and Mason--we wanted to do this right!

Fortnum and Mason, an old and luxurious department store on Piccadilly (since 1707) is like Harrods in terms of quality but with an actually pleasant experience. There were very few people shopping there, so you could browse in peace without being bombarded by elbows from across the world or getting lost. Known for beautiful window displays, lovely and appetizing hampers, and as the Brits say "gorgeous" teas, what a perfect place to visit and explore with dear friends.

First of all, the afternoon tea was divine. Definitely the best splurge I've had in London so far. It was so lovely doing something so British while sitting down in a relaxing and beautiful environment. We booked the Afternoon Tea in St. James's Restaurant. You can have your tea in a few other locations in store as well. After sinking (well, not sinking, we tried to look proper and thus with good posture!) into comfortable sofas with pillows that have English scenes on them, a smart waiter arrives to advise you on your tea--which sounds easy but is anything but with so many choices and beautiful names! (Cole had Queen Anne's, I had the Piccadilly, Raymond had a tea I can't remember and a refreshing pitcher of homemade lemonade) Soon after comes your own pot of tea in a beautiful china pot with matching tea cup. They also bring out sandwiches, as well as the sweets for you to choose from. Heavenly.

I was expecting something quite a bit lighter, but as perhaps not-so-proper-Americans we were so relieved to find they would box our extras up in a most exquisite doggie-bag! This could certainly serve as a late lunch before a light dinner. After relishing the time in the St. James, explore the floors below where you won't be rushed and will be intrigued and amazed by the beautiful wares. Head down to the ground floor to find you favorite tea, a gift to take home, or perhaps your own beautiful tea cup. After a day of sight-seeing or perhaps even 9 months in a big, hectic city, taking time for a proper afternoon tea is the perfect way to recharge your batteries while appreciating the best that English culture has to offer!

For more information check out Fortnum & Mason's

{Note: There are many places to have tea from the Ritz to the Dorchester to the Grosvenor House to The Orangery at Kensington Palace. Do some research to find a menu, price, and setting that looks perfect for you! Some even offer options for Children's Teas!}

France

A couple weeks ago, our friends Cole & Raymond came over to visit us in London. While they were over here, we all 4 went to France! It was such an adventure, and we were so thankful to have T and Carlton to keep Wiley!

We flew into Marseille (don't hang out there.), then drove (thanks, R!) to Nice. It is a quick drive (2 hours, I think) by American standards (long by English standards). Nice was pretty good. Of course we were in the high season, so there were tons of people, not to mention some seriously hot weather that we were not ready for coming from cool London. We stayed at Hotel Grimaldi which I thought was sweet and charming. While we were in Nice, about to go into a restaurant a couple started talking to us about Wake Forest. We had no idea how she knew we went to Wake, but she seemed nice, but perhaps clairvoyant. They were transplanted Southerners living somewhere up north with 2 kids in college at UGA and maybe Ole Miss. We finally figured out that Wil was wearing a WFU t-shirt, thus giving us away. As we said goodbye, and they headed back towards the cruise ship, the wife added "Good Bye Y'all! Hey! We need to figure that out in French!" Good fun. The market in Nice was amazing for the senses, particularly the spices.

We took a train to Monte Carlo for an afternoon and had dinner there. Very glitzy. The boys enjoyed the casino, and we enjoyed exploring it, and of course having a snack of olives and nuts with our wine and Orangina.

Can you find our little James Bonds in the picture below?

Next, we drove to Cannes, stopping in Antibes along the way. Antibes was really nice, an old city with an old wall around it. We had a picnic lunch there, sweated some more, walked to see huge yachts, sweated and bee-lined it for the car with a/c. Cannes was a sparkly place whether they were cubic zirconias or the real thing. Our hotel was interesting, and I won't recommend it, but it was ok for us. In Cannes, though, I think of our relaxing day on the beach (culture shock) and 2 of the best meals ever. One particular restaurant, La Brouette de Grand Mere, was really quite a hole in the wall. We sat outside with all locals in a random small piazza-type space. There was no menu, our waitress was the menu (that is what she told us), and they immediately brought out pate (everyone else said it was great!) with bread. When we asked for a translation of an entree (only one waiter seemed to speak a tiny bit of English), he said "Uh you know, jaiofjdi (word in French). Uh, you know, Bambi." Ah, yes, deer meat. We know Bambi. The other restaurant was Odine's, and it was right on the beach. Fresh seafood, delicious risotto covered in truffles. Happiness. I suppose I must add something about the beaches. Let's just say we saw the poster grandma for a dermatologist's worst nightmare and saw a lot of her. Those French!

Overall, it was such a fun trip. I redeemed myself on my French (the French down there were much nicer than the Parisians). We had the best Croque Monsieur our last day in Cannes. And bopping to the towns on the coast was definitely the way to go. 2 full days in Nice would have been too much, and having 2 days (one beach day) in Cannes was plenty as well. I hope to see more of France--off the beaten path next time--soon!

Au Revoir France!