There and back again

 

York Minster

Our last days in England were spent in York and London. We drove to York after our day at Warwick Castle. We were again rushing to get on the road so that the kids could nap in the car. The parking lot at our Warwick accommodations was the smallest parking lot known to man with an even smaller exit. Kurt had to do some ridiculous number of turns to maneuver the car out (think of that scene in Austin Powers where he gets the golf cart stuck between two walls). Anyway by the time he go the car out to the road his nerves were a little frayed. He quickly typed York into the GPS and we set off.
  We had been speeding along for two hours, wondering when we would start seeing signs for York, when we realized that we had selected the wrong York from the GPS menu. Fortunately we were not going entirely the wrong direction but it did add an hour and a half to our drive time. When we finally arrived we settled into our comfy B&B, Amber House. I liked all the places we stayed on our trip (well except for the hostel in Bath) but I think I liked this place the best. Winning features included a claw foot bath tub and the option for a vegetarian full English breakfast.

Little Viking

York itself was lovely and our first day there the weather was just perfect- 60s and sunny sunny sunny. On Lars and Sam's recommendation we checked out the Jorvic Viking Centre. York was built upon an ancient viking settlement called Jorvic. Some of the ruins of Jorvic were uncovered in the 70s and preserved under what is now the museum. In the first room of the museum a clear glass floor lets you walk over top of the foundations of several buildings from Jorvic. There are also some of the millions of viking artifacts that they have uncovered on display. Next you hop into a roller coaster type car and float through a recreated Viking city complete with smells. See video. Next were some more displays on viking life and craftsmanship and a few skeletons that they had unearthed nearby. Owing to Kurt's viking heritage we went a little crazy in the gift shop. I thought Leif would be impressed by the ride but he treated it with as much disinterest as he did the rest of the place.

On the York walls

 For lunch we bought some pies at the open air market and at them in the plaza outside the York Minster, a huge, opulent cathedral. After settling the boys down for a nap back at the B&B I went out and walked around the city. I found a post office and sent back the hand towel we had accidentally stolen from the first place we stayed at. I also was finally able to find a replacement pair of shoes for Klaus. There is an adorable medieval section of York called "the shambles" where the streets are still sized for carts and the crooked buildings lean into each other and over the street. Felt like being on a Harry Potter set. When the kids woke up we took a stroll around the city walls which are almost entirely preserved. Then we ate dinner at a vegetarian place called El Piano. Rick Steves had recommended the place but we only found it to be ok.
  In the morning we had planned to tour the inside of the York Minster before heading off on the long drive to London. For a rainy morning we were surprised at the crowd headed into the Minster. Unfortunately for us that crowd was there to actually attend a service and because the church was actually going to be used as a church tourists were not allowed in. It was probably all for the best since the ride to London was really long.
 Actually we weren't even driving to London directly- we had to drop the car off at Southend Airport and then take the train in. We were unable to pawn off the car seats that we had bought on the car rental guy so in addition to our luggage we had to carry two lard car seats. Despite this, my economical husband refused to get a taxi from the train station to the hotel. We loaded up Leif's spot on the stroller with the baby bed and car seats and Leif road on the back of the wheeled suitcase as Kurt pulled it. After about an hours walk we stumbled into the Dockside Hotel. As we started checking in Leif started freaking out and we finally got it out of him that he needed to use the potty. I'm sure we scared the quiet man at reception but he showed us to our room anyway. Kurt had scored this hotel room on Expedia for the ridiculous price of $90/night including breakfast. That is really unheard of in London. Now, granted, we were in the East end but the hotel is five minutes walk from a tube station and bus stop.

On Saturday we took the bus into Trafalgar Square where we were greeted by an unwelcome side: a giant NFL sign. There was a NFL rally going on. Apparently American football is trying to find an audience in our sister nation. I was pissed. I didn't want to see something so American while I was on my England romance. Anywho we signed up for the Original Tour Double Decker bus tour. We sat up on top of course :) The tours are set up so that you can hop on and off at various stops. We got off at Buckingham Palace and watched the guards march around for a bit. But other than that we just sat back, listened to the tour guide and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. At around one I headed back to the hotel room with the kids and Kurt went to see a production of Les Miserables. He said it was good although as Kurt usually does he had lots of critiques.

On Sunday we tried to beat the crowd to the British Museum but it was already packed by the time we got there. We breezed past the Rosetta Stone and headed straight to the Parthenon Marbles. For some reason I had thought the pediment sculptures were a bit better preserved so I was rather disappointed at their fragmented condition. For lunch we ate at a pub called Shakespeare's Head. I was again annoyed by the NFL clad table next to us but I enjoyed my vegetarian sausages none the less. Since Kurt had gone out the afternoon before it was my turn. I scurried over to the National Gallery to see their collection of northern Renaissance works. Luckily for me most people prefer the Italian Renaissance so the Dutch rooms are not quite as crowded. I saw Van Eyke's Arnolfini Wedding Portrait (It was just as sumptuous as I had hoped) and Holbein's The Ambassadors (much larger than I imagined and so full of detail!). After that I walked down to the houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
 

Kurt and Leif playing football wiht Big Ben

At 6 we had planned to meet up at Westminster Abbey to hear a free organ concert. Due to a misunderstood text I assumed that Kurt had aborted the idea of coming and so I went in and sat down. Westminster was much smaller than I had imagined which only made the huge organ all that much more bone rattling. The concert was only a half house but it was enough of a chance to sit and contemplate the beauty of the church. When I walked out I was greeted by my smiling family. They had made it after all but had been seated in the back. Kurt had bargained for Leif's cooperation in attending the concert and so we now had to find him a place to play with the new football (rugby ball) that we had gotten him. Right across the road from Westminster was a patch of grass with a great view of the now illuminated Big Ben. Kurt and Leif played their version of football while Klaus rolled around in the leaves. At one point some Spanish tourists asked me to take their picture. I picked up Klaus so that he wouldn't toddle away while I did so. Before I knew it the tourists had taken him out of my arms and were posing with him for the picture. So somewhere in a Spanish scrap book there is a picture of my son with a group of total strangers standing in front of Big Ben. Perfect for out last night in England
 The trip home turned out to be somewhat eventful. On our last night England was scheduled to get hit with the worst storm it had seen in 10 years. We heard the rain and wind all night but it did not seem too terrible. At breakfast, the news reports said that all flights were cancelled due to the storm. Luckily for us we were taking the train home. Unfortunately for us parts of the London Tube were also shut down due to storm debris. What should have been a 30 minute tube ride to St Pancras Intl Train Station turned out to be double that but we did make it onto the train. In Belgium, also hit with the same storm, things were a bit worse. Trains were being cancelled and redirected left and right. I'm not sure how many different trains we rode that day but we eventually got back to Leiden, albeit 4 hours later than planned. We did meet some great people on the train and, while I was sad to leave England behind, it made me realize how much I really like the Dutch as well. Everyone is so friendly and so willing to laugh here.
 Anyway thus concludes our trip to England. Shew!