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Published: October 13th 2007
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What a fantastically diverse country the UK is, full of so many interesting places and faces! We have been scouring city and countryside alike at a feverish pace and I know we've only begun to scratch the surface of all England has to offer. We'll try to fit in all that we can before January rolls around but it may be difficult!
Upon returning from Scandinavia, we settled back into our fifth-floor (huff, puff, pant, pant) Pepperdine apartment a little wilted but expectant. Barry resumed teaching and writing and I proceeded to pound the pavement to find our sweet kindergarten girl suitable schooling. Not an easy task! We received many rejections - a kind of "no room at the inn" scenario - as London appears to be in the midst of a shortage of government-funded schooling for its smallest citizens.
Understandably, priorty is not given to short-term visitors from different countries, so I was a little nervous and ready to prepare homemade meals for a full week to the first administrator who offered Solveig a place in his or her school. God answered my timid prayers, nonetheless, and Solveig is enrolled in "Holy Trinity" and is, um, well, attending.
She's not as excited about school as we had hoped, but she's showing up and has made some lovely new "mates." Her favorite part seems to be taking her scooter and riding the subway to class. We're really proud of the way she is adjusting to all things new and unfamiliar.
While Solveig is in school (Monday through Friday, all day!), Barry is teaching two new courses and writing and researching for his next article. Braden and I seem to get the best part as we are usually exploring the numerous museums and parks London houses. Strangely, the journey to get to any one destination usually takes longer than the amount of time we actually spend there! I have never been good with directions (ask Barry) and London is not the place to be for someone like me in this respect! You should see us scrambling up and down the stairs, escalators, elevators with the stroller to get to the subway, bus or train. ("Mind the gap, please!" has become one of Braden's favorite phrases.) Boy, have I ever taken having our own car at our disposal for granted. Grocery shopping has become like training for an olympic sport
for me, but I'll spare you the details on that.
The shuffling around is always worth it, though, when you see a little face light up at the first glimpse of the playground or park There are so many to explore here and most with some really innovative play equipment. Despite the fact that London is such a big city it really seems to value outdoor play and child-centered activities. The weather has been fairly mild, too, with much less rain than we were expecting. We'll see how long it lasts....
When the weather isn't great, we'll duck into a museum and ty to learn a thing or two. I'm trying to stay away from the shopping scene as everything costs so much due to our weak dollar. It's just too tempting. A cappuccino at a sidewalk cafe becomes an extravagence in this economy, but it is fun to watch people take time out to do so and relax with a friend over a cup of tea. They really do take their tea seriously here!
Speaking of culture, Barry and I treated ourselves to an evening out and saw the musical "Lord of the Rings." I didn't
even realize there was such a show and it was absolutely the most spectacular stage production either of us has seen. It was so much fun to be grown ups for the evening and catch some of the city's night life. We hope to see one or two more before we leave this very theatrical town.
Barry has a full work load, but while we are over here we want to mix in some weekend trips here and there. These pictures from Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath are examples of one of those getaways. The English countryside is so sedately beautiful, full of history and quiet living. It's lush and green and alive with all kinds of furry, four-legged creatures. We even survived the rental car arrangement despite the impossibly narrow roads and opposite-side-of-the-road driving thing. Barry did just fine! Our hotel was an old malt house (I didn't know that the malt production was an entirely separate step in the beer brewing process) and the kiddies were able to frolick in the tall grass that surrounded the property. Nice time.
Lastly, I took an overnight trip to Paris to see my friend Susie and the choreography she created
for the production of "Caberet!" Now doesn't that sound sophisticated? I felt like I was living someone else's life! Susie was kind enough to let me share her room at a trey chic hotel and took me around the city, explaining things like the difference between patisserie and brasserie before rehearsing for her show. It was a rousing, well-received production and I'm really proud of her! The city was sublime and I raced around to the typical tourist attractions, a vague feeling of disbelief and utter fascination running through me the whole time. I will always have Paris.
I hope to get another update off to you soon as time continues to fly and I want to share as much as I can with you! Thank you for your wonderfully kind comments and for taking an interest in our little experience abroad. We miss you all and think of you often!
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