London at Christmastime

 

London is such an amazing city.  There is so much to see and do- you can’t do it all in one trip.  We saw so much- but there was still so much to see!  I was exciting about this trip as soon as I opened the travel books.  London lived up to my expectations. 

We stayed at an apartment right outside of the city, and that in itself was a great experience.  It was nice to have bedrooms for everyone, a living area to wind down at the end of the day, a kitchen with everything you need to prepare food.  The building was close to a café, restaurant, grocery store, and train station.  It had everything we needed.  For more information about the apartment, click here.

I should start by telling you that we left for London the day that Byron and Patti flew in.  Ben picked them up in Frankfurt and they came to the house, unloaded, reloaded, and then we all drove to Luxembourg City, where we slew out of.  With so much to see in such a short time, there is no time for rest!  We drug them all over, and they were such troopers!

Day 1- We started at Westminster Bridge, with tours of Parliament and Big Ben.  Of course I had to snap a picture of Ben in front of Big Ben.  The girls thought it was great!  Did you know that Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the tower?  We stopped midway across the bride to take in the London Eye, The City, and the Thames.  We walked to Parliament square, past West Minster Abbey, passing along the Ministry of Defense and #10 Downing Street (home and office of the Prime Minister).  We then stopped to pet the horses at Horse Guard Parade.  Next, we spent several hours wandering the Churchill War Rooms.  The museum includes a tour of several underground rooms which housed the British command center during War World II and also a room focusing on the life of Winston Churchill.  If visiting London, I would highly recommend this museum.   Next, we found ourselves in front of the huge Christmas tree in the middle of Trafalgar Square.  This little walk was a great intro to the city.  We ended teh day at the Londin Christmas Market, right under the eye.  We walked through the booths, drank gluhwein to keep warm, the girls found a carousal to ride, and ate a delicious cinnamon roll. 

Day 2- We began the day at the Tower of London, anxious to see the crown jewels.  Then, we walked around a little bit before heading to Westminster Abbey.  We wanted to be sure to get there before closing, since yesterday we missed going in.  While in Westminster Abbey we listened to an audio guide.  It was very neat to hear what all events took place there.  Then, we did a walk that started at St. Paul's Cathedral (wouldn't ya know we arrived just after they closed early for the day?).  This walk took us through The City.  Beginning at the cathedral, we walked to St. Bride's Church (it's layered steeple supposedly inspired the wedding cake), past Dr. Samuel Johnson's house ( he authored the first English dictionary there) and down a busy boulevard to Twinning's Tea Shop where we bought some consumable souvenirs.  While these things don't make the "must-see" list, we enjoyed a nice walk and some great coffee among the hustle and bustle of the city.

Day 3- Up and going a little earlier this day, we had an important agenda.  We marched over to Buckingham Palace to see the guards.  It was the coldest day yet, and the blowing wind chilled our noses and cheeks as we watched the ceremony take place.  Afterwards, we traveled back to St. Paul's to see the interior.    By now, Ben and I have seen A LOT of A cathedrals throughout Europe.  We are about to the point of saying, "If you've seen one, you've seen them all."  With that being said, this is one that should not be missed.  I was blown away by the grandeur of the place.  I could have sat on the pew bench for the rest of the day.  The cathedral was absolutely amazing!  While Natalie napped and Byron and Patti caught up on the audio commentary, Ben, Avree, and I raced the 500+ steps to the top of the dome for a view worth the hard work.  Once we caught our breath, we were ready for the next stop- Regent Street at night.  Walking down this busy shopping street was a Christmas shopper's paradise.  The streets were dotted with lights, the storefronts decorated up as well.  Piccadilly Circus was very lively, with a fountain turned into snow globe and games and rides scattered about.  We quickly took it in and walked down to our desired destination- M&M World.  With 4 floors of chocolate fun, we probably spent more time and money here than we needed to- but we had a blast doing it! 

Day 4- Dragging a little from the day before, we were moving a little slower than usual.  We decided to start the day with some kid-friendly activities.  For the holiday season, Hyde Park had transformed into a Winter Wonderland.  It was the biggest Christmas market I've seen- rows and rows of huts, food, ice skating,  and rides glore.   Of course we ate some market food.  It didn't take long for the girls to tell us they were ready for a ride.  Avree picked a carousel and Natalie decided to try out a Fun House for the first time (and although she ran into the glass several times, she did find it fun).  After we got out our giggles, we strolled through the remainder of the park and through Kensington Gardens to Kensington Palace.  We didn't have as much time here as we would have liked, so we looked fast.   On display were some of Princess Diana's dresses, and the girls really enjoyed looking at all of their shimmer and sparkle.  We stayed until closing, and then called it a day.  We took the metro back toward our apartment and to our favorite restaurant nearby.

I cannot believe all of the awesome sites that we were able to see in these few days.  London, I hope to see you again!

Big Ben and Parliment

Westminster Abbey

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

View of St. Bride's from St. Paul's Dome

Kensington Palace

Poland Road Trip

We have been back and forth about going to Poland.  It is expensive to get there.  We looked into flying, driving, and taking the train.  There is no cheap way to do it that would work for us.   About ten hours away adds up to several nights in a hotel and gas on the economy, and let’s just face it, it’s not the most kid-friendly trip.  With our time in Germany winding down we had to make a decision. Since this was one place we both were eager to visit, we decided to go for it. 

Our ultimate destination in Poland was Auschwitz, but I decided to break up the drive by stopping in Boleslaweic, Poland to do some pottery shopping and spending a night in Dresden, Germany on the way back.

We left Wednesday morning after Ben played a job In Grafenwoehr.  The girls and I had gone up a few days earlier to get some quality time in with Dan, Kristine, Eva, and Hans.  After lunch at Pizza Hut we began the drive to Poland.  Leaving from Grafenwoehr put us a couple hours closer and so we only had a 4 ½ hr drive this day. 

The town of Boleslaweic is just over the border and famous for its handmade pottery.  I didn’t have much in mind for Polish pottery shopping, just wanted to get a few interesting pieces to have.  We discovered that our GPS was not equipped with the Polish roadways, but luckily I had gathered tips from avid PP shoppers in my research that helped guide our way.  We found the town okay, but had a more difficult time finding our hotel in the dark.  Once there, our bellies were hungry.  We checked in quickly and settled into dinner.  We stayed at the highly recommended Bluebeet Root Hotel, and it did not disappoint.  The room was spacious, the staff was very welcoming and friendly, and the restaurant served delicious food.  The restaurant, located at the hotel, served traditional Polish meals.  Ben ordered goulash with potato pancakes on the side and I ate a chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes. 

As soon as the girls were up we headed out to shop.  The stores were more spread out than I had thought, some even in neighboring villages.  It was fun to see what we could find, kind of like a treasure hunt to find a good bargain or the most interesting piece.  Admittedly we bought more gifts than pieces for ourselves, but we had a lot of fun going in and out of the shops, each one a little different.   When neither we nor our credit card could take anymore, we set out for our next stop-Krakow.  First, we had to stop and get a map.  Once we were sure we were headed in the right direction, we drove the 4 ½ hours there.

Our gas light came on as we entered town.  We drove around town for awhile before stopping at a sketchy gas station out of desperation, grabbing some gas and a local map. Tired and hungry, we pulled into a McDonalds.  The kids were hungry and restless so we decided to stop for dinner before unloading at the hotel.  This was our Thanksgiving meal J.  We really have a lot to be thankful for.  After dinner, we drove the few blocks to the hotel, showered, and settled in for an early night’s rest.  (We stayed at Hotel Batory- clean rooms, decent size, good location, free parking). 

We started off by touring an old salt mine.  The Wieliczka Salt Mine dates back to the 13^th century.  On the tour, we walked 3 km down many steps and through underground corridors, passing by many statues made of salt and a few chapels.  Everything- the walls, steps, and ceiling- is made entirely of salt!  The guide told us we could taste the walls if we wanted. At first I was disgusted by the idea, but about an hour and a half into the tour, we let the girls lick away.   Ewww! 

Wawal Cathedral

Next, we rode back into Krakow and walked around the town.  We hiked to the Wawal Castle.  We wandered the castle grounds, admiring the buildings and took in the city from atop the hill.  It was a great place to let the kids run and climb for a bit.  We wrapped up the evening at their Christmas market in front of the Cloth Hall.  The Sukiennice, or Cloth Hall, is considered the world’s oldest shopping mall.  The hall was lined with booths, each selling various goods and crafts similar to the booths at a Christmas market or maybe evens a flea market.  We were not nearly as interested in what was in the building as much as what was going on outside around the square.  The Krakow Christmas Market was similar to what you would find at a Christmas market in Germany, but with kielbasa rather than bratwurst, pierogi instead of spatzle, and paper cups in place of gluhwein mugs.  We found plenty to keep us content. 

It was finally time to see Auschwitz.  It took us about an hour to travel there from our hotel.  We pulled up to Auschwitz II (Birkenau) first.  With the kids in a stroller, Ipad in hand and headphones to their ears, Ben and I wandered the camp grounds in amazement at how huge of a place it is.  We had previously been to Dachau, a much smaller camp with not much still remaining.  At Birkenau, there were still some barrack rooms standing that you can look it.  It gave us more of an idea of what the grounds were like.  I was also surprised to see that the train tracks run not just up to the gate, but through to the back of the camp.  How awful it must have been!  Next, we went to Auschwitz I, the main camp.  The buildings here were a lot different, huge in size and mostly made of brick.  The camp was a Polish military camp that the Nazis took over.  Most of it was already there; they just added to it.  It was interesting to see the barriers, fences, ditches, courtyards.  Many of the buildings are set up as museums, each with a different theme on what it was like.  We ended by looking in a building that was full of people’s stuff.  I’m talking about a room full of brushes, a hallway of glass filled with people’s shoes, luggage that was left behind- personal items that belonged to people, telling a story of what once was.  Being there was amazing, to see such a piece of our history.  Now that I can check going to Auschwitz off my list, I am good with concentration camps and wondering what it was like.  I have a better understanding than I wanted. 

Memorial at Auschcwitz

Letting it all sink in, we drove to our final destination- Dresden, Germany.  The Christmas market in Dresden is well-known.  The booths were elaborately decorated and the market featured a life-size candle arch, so big that you could walk over it.   We pushed through the crowds as we browsed the stalls, ate food, and drank gluhwein.     While in Dresden we also visited the Zwinger, a palace built in Rococo style.  We parked in front by the street, and weren’t really expecting much.  I must say we were blown away.  The more we saw of the building, the more striking it was.  We meandered through the courtyard and exited the back, which spilled out onto a square lined with beautiful buildings.  Among them were the opera house and a cathedral.  I could have spent the rest of the day sitting on the steps watching time go by.  I was so glad we had decided to take the extra time to go to the palace.  What a treasure it was.  Something else I got to check off my list was seeing the Kunsthofpassage, a building said to play music when it rains.  Although hard to find and debatable about whether or not it would really play music, it still was neat to see.   Alas, it was time for our road trip to end.  5 more hours of driving and we had made it home!

All in all, it was a lot of driving, but totally worth it.  The entire family enjoyed the pottery shopping, we got to experience the Christmas market season in a different country, and we stumbled upon the beauty of Dresden.  We had a great time!

Christmas market in Krakow, Poland- right outside of Cloth Hall

Time to rest up for our next big trips- London & Rome!!!