Coastin'

The last two nights were spent here:



In a traditional cottage in the tiny village of Cropton. The cottage is a funny contrast in mod-con and old-style housing. You have a brand spanking new kitchen and ditto bathroom, but you must remember to bend down to get from one room to another, lest you fancy close contact with a several foot wide plaster wall.

The local village pub provided two delicious dinners for us. And I don't mean fish wrapped in newspaper - apparently the Gordon Ramsey wave of fancy pub food has reached the upper north-east, as we had fantastic meals both nights. My only complaint was the North American size servings, which I felt compelled to finish.



Day one was spent looking for dinosaur fossils at Sandsend Beach:



And fish in the tidepools at Robin Hood's Bay:



Neither endeavour was crowned with success, though we did find several fossils of shellfish and a hermit crab for our troubles.

Lunch time was spent in and around the beautiful seaside town of Whitby, an old whaling town that is experiencing a big boost in tourism.



The town has a large and sandy beach, framed by small colourful shacks used by townspeople as their cottage on the water.



Day two was yet more exploration, much to the chagrin of the boys who seem to have a one-day-limit, before they need a day off to recuperate from sightseeing with their beloved DSes and perhaps a game or two of goof tennis.

Still, we persevered, visiting the white chalk cliffs by Flamborough Head, which are nesting grounds to millions of birds. This was quite a sight, even for cranky and hot kids, who were tired of walking.



Final stop on our way back to Ripon was Sutton Bank, which is the site of a massive white horse cut out of the chalky limestone cliff and visible from as far away as Thirsk in clear weather. Not realizing we could park directly underneath the horse, we parked some distance away, leaving ourselves a good hour long walk. The boys were not impressed, especially since as we finally got there, we couldn't really see the horse at all from our vantage point:



Fortunately, we had to walk past the grassy runway of a tiny cliff top airport, where glider planes were taking off, assisted by an equally tiny propeller plane. It was fun watching the gliders circle the hillsides in the beautiful weather, though the boys' excitement has me more than slightly worried about their future endeavours.



Today is the mandatory day of rest, as implemented by the kids, and tomorrow's plan is to pin Christopher down to get some of his shaggy do trimmed. This could be ugly - wish me luck!

Postcard from Yorkshire

We've climbed Harrogate trees...



...and Brimham rocks...



We've admired Ripon Cathedral in the sunshine...



...but decided we like the Fountain Abbey ruins better...



We've mini putted...

'

...and pitched the real thing...



Tomorrow we're off to the coast. Fingers crossed that the rain stays AWAY.

Lincoln

We arrived in Lincoln just before lunch to see Mike's brother, Alistair, and get a quick tour of his renovated house. He's done a great job with it, making me wonder how we can come up with a way to entice him to Canada. You see, there's a certain house in desperate need of some fixing up in Ontario somewhere...

We'd planned to visit Lincoln Cathedral, grab a quick lunch and then leave the boys with Alistair for a special sleepover, while Mike and I joined my in-laws at a concert near Leeds.

The boys could hardly contain themselves - Uncle Alistair is one of their all-time heroes - but they were not very interested in seeing yet another old church, wanting to hit the park instead. I guess they've reached their fill of sightseeing for a while.

I can't say I blame them, but I wish we'd shown them Lincoln Cathedral first, before they lost interest in all things antiquarian. It is truly a sight to behold.



Interestingly, the Cathedral was used instead of Westminster Abbey during the filming of 'The Da Vinci Code' a few years ago.

After saying goodbye to the boys, we set our sights on Ripon, a little under 2 hours north. We arrived with plenty of time before the evening's concert, so Mike and I took the opportunity to go for a walk.

We were only just returning to the house when I saw my mother-in-law running towards us. As she caught up with us she prefaced her news by "Let me just start by saying the boys are all right."

Not what you want to hear when you've left your children in a town two hours away.

It turns out that Alistair had injured his knee while playing soccer with the boys and was now at the emergency room, while the boys were being looked after by a couple of Alistair's friends. He didn't think he'd be able to take care of them overnight, seeing as he wasn't able to walk on his injured leg or drive a car.

There was really no other option but for Mike and his dad to get into the car and drive back to Lincoln. Getting results from the hospital took a while, so it was closer to midnight by the time they returned, with sleepy boys and - as it turned out - a hobbling Alistair.

Alistair's knee is not as bad as originally feared, though he is still in a lot of pain. He'll be seeing a specialist within the next few days and hopefully will be able to recover without surgery.



My mother-in-law and I were obviously concerned about the guys, but that didn't stop us from going to the concert as originally planned. We spent the evening seeing a performance of Elijah at the recently renovated Royal Hall in Harrogate. It was a great distraction from wondering what was going on in Lincoln.

Today is a lazy day around the house. We all need to chill out for a little bit, and that's exactly what we're planning to do.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Cambridge

My father-in-law is an Old Boy from Cambridge, meaning he is a graduate of Cambridge University (Trinity College to be specific). Today he took us on a tour of his old stomping grounds.

I tried to imagine myself studying in a place as beautiful as this:



And I'm honestly not sure I would have gotten a lot done, if I were surrounded by views such as these:



Or these:



But then again, if I started to feel guilty about putting all that tuition money to waste, I'd just send up a quick prayer to the powers-that-be, either here:



Or in this 'modest' student chapel attached to the college:



After admiring the old buildings of the various colleges, we finished our afternoon visit with an attempt at 'punting' on the river Cam (vaguely reminiscent of the gondolas in Venice, but really an art-form all of its own, as Mike quickly realized):





Having seen enormous abbeys, churches and chapels in both London and here in Cambridge, it is hard to believe there are bigger ones still to come, but that is just what we'll see as we hit the town of Lincoln this morning. The boys are stopping for a night there with their uncle, before they join us in Ripon tomorrow.

And so the adventure continues...

48 Hours In London

I was overly optimistic when I mentioned the sun peeking out yesterday morning. It did peek out - for about 2 minutes. Then it promptly disappeared, not to be seen again. It was also awfully cold - the bone-chilling cold that cuts through however many layers of clothing you've managed to put on.

Having said that, we still managed to have an excellent day of touring the city. We hopped on the double-decker, which was a stroke of genius in the cold and wet weather. Some of the buses have partially covered top decks, and much to their delight, the boys managed to secure front row seating.



We whizzed by the Parliament buildings, Big Ben looking awfully wet much to Little Ben's delight. We also saw Buckingham Palace (the Queen apparently in residence, but not available to wave to us), Westminster Abbey, Trafalger Square, Downing Street and Tower Bridge, before we stopped at Tower of London for a closer look.


(Yeah, it was cold!)

The Tower of London was a huge hit with the boys, for very different reasons. Christopher was enthralled with the collection of Crown Jewels, in particular the world's largest diamond. True to himself, he kept asking and speculating about how much money various crowns, ornamental swords, maces and staffs would be worth if sold. Here's a boy who likes his money! Sadly, the museum did not allow photography, but Christopher made sure to stack up on postcards before we left.

B boy, on the other hand, could not get enough of the Royal Armouries and its extensive weaponry displays. We spent a good hour just looking at swords, guns, cannons and armour, and by the end of it, he told me the museum was the best ever! Big words from a boy who wants nothing to do with museums of any kind.


(Rather anatomically correct body armour)

After a quick stop at the hotel, we made our way to the West End for a pizza dinner before hitting the theatre to see Joseph. The musical didn't disappoint. The stage production was fairly simple, but very funny, and we all loved it. The boys sang along to every song, and were thrilled to see Elvis perform twice. We even had a bit of drama when the production ran into technical problems part-way through the first half, but the issues were quickly resolved and the show continued without another hitch.

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Today, in contrast, has been much warmer and - dare I say it - sunny! We began our morning with a lovely walk along the river Thames, where street artists provided much amusement for the boys, especially B boy who couldn't decide which entertainer to support with his single coin.


(The chameleon was the lucky winner)

After a delicious lunch by the side of the river, we slowly made our way towards the London Eye, the massive ferris wheel assembled for the Millenium celebrations in London 8 years ago.



Despite Christopher's fear of heights, even he enjoyed the trip up in the capsule, with the most amazing views of the city of London.



Enticing the boys with promises of ice cream, we then proceeded to walk through St. James's Park towards Buckingham Palace. The tulips were out in full bloom and the floral displays everywhere lulled us into thinking that spring had finally arrived.



That is, until we were hit by a freak hail storm. Only in London will you find tourists sporting sunglasses AND umbrellas, all while taking refuge under trees because of massive and painful hail.



The hail storm only lasted about a minute, and shortly thereafter the sun was out in full force again. Odd, but I'm not complaining.

As I write this, we are getting ready to meet up with Mike's dad at Covent Garden for dinner. We have yet to have a bad meal in London, and I'm sure tonight won't disappoint, either. Not great for the diet, but oh-so-good for the soul.

Tomorrow we are off to Cambridge, before we slowly make our way up towards the Yorkshire dales. Keeping busy is the name of the game!

You Say Goodbye I Say Hello

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my post yesterday. I felt much better after reading them. You are all so right - this is just the start of a new adventure, not the end of anything. Norway will still be there.

Following a manic last-minute packing session, we flew off yesterday afternoon after a slightly teary, but all in all fairly stoic goodbye with my family.

The boys were quiet and more subdued than usual in the airport, though their moods were livened somewhat by being told they could buy 'whatever they wanted' from the duty-free candy store (with higher prices than the local supermarkets - gah!).

B boy had taken one of the anti-sickness pills he so hates, and promptly fell asleep as the flight taxied out to the runway. He didn't wake up again until we were taxiing into our gate at London's Heathrow airport. Now that's the way to travel.

We had left a gloriously sunny spring day in Norway and arrived in England to -- rain. Probably the perfect reflection of my somber mood, but still...

On the upside, we were out of the airport in record speed - fortunately we did not have to deal with the luggage mess in the new terminal 5 - and the taxicab driver was jolly and friendly, and made us all laugh with his comments on London weather. The drive into town seemed to go much faster than we'd feared.

The boys were in awe of the hotel Mike's family has booked, and I have to admit - it is pretty swanky. We are staying close to Kensington, in a business hotel with apartments. Our apartment must be one of the biggest ones there, with three large bedrooms and attached washrooms, a new and well equipped kitchen, LCD TVs everywhere. Everything very nice looking and with high-end furnishings. Christopher went around in awe for a few minutes, commenting on this and that, and finally said "This is a suite!" I think my boy will be disappointed next time we check into a Holiday Inn :)

The boys were pretty tired after an emotional couple of days, so we decided to order food in, after which they hit the sack.

Today we are doing what Jen suggested, hopping on the double-decker bus to sightsee without listening to 'tired legs' stories from short people. Then we are off to the Tower of London, before ending the day with the boys' favourite musical of all times - Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat.

And guess what - despite the forecast - I am actully seeing sunshine peeking through the clouds as I write this. Cross fingers!

Of Exercise and Exploration

I was thrilled to wake up at 5:30 am this morning, since what woke me up was sunlight pouring in through the curtains. Spring has arrived in Norway at last! Mother Nature has forgiven me.

Which is why, after sending the boys off to school and putting out a few work-related fires, I put on my shoes and went for a run.

Oh.My.Gawd.

Six months of chocolatey sedatedness have done more damage than I imagined. There was jiggling of body parts I didn't even know could jiggle. And in this country of mountains, even the slightest incline seemed like a Mt. Everest climb.

I eventually managed to run for 25 minutes - with a couple of life-saving breaks thrown in - and I suppose that's OK for the second run this year.

But I clearly have my work cut out for me, and I was so disappointed because my first run - just three days ago - had been much more enjoyable.

Of course, that may have been because it was on a flat surface. Or, more likely, because I got to run past this:



I mean, who wouldn't be able to manage a few minutes of leisurely activity if you got to do it along the Seine, past the Notre Dame in Paris?

Jiggling notwithstanding, Mike and I spent a fabulous 3 days in Paris, as part of my Christmas present. I'd been to Paris a long time ago, and frankly wasn't very impressed with the city, as I found it dirty, crowded and the Parisians rude.

But no more. I now officially 'aime' Paris.



First of all, the buildings look like they've all had major facelifts, or at least undergone serious sandblasting. In addition to the sparkling clean Notre Dame, both the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay were in impeccable condition, as were the gilded statues that abound in Paris. Perhaps they'd been cleaned in the hopes of being awarded the 2012 Olympics.



What's certain is that Paris is now one of the cleanest European capitals I've been to. Every morning, the garbage receptacles were lined with new, empty bags, and beautiful floral displays could be found on almost every corner.



Furthermore, while Paris is still a huge and busy city, its people couldn't have been friendlier, or more gracious when silly foreigners try to test out their tenous grasp of the French language. You know, like responding with a resounding 'si' instead of a 'oui'. Not that I'd know anything about that!

The weather was variable on our weekend away, but we still managed to make the most of it, visiting all the usual tourist traps...

Sacré-Coeur



Arc de Triomphe



Moulin Rouge



Versailles and its Hall of Mirrors



And of course...



But now it's back to reality, which for me means facing suitcases bursting at the seams. We have one week left in Norway, and I'm not sure there's enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Plus squeeze in a run each day.

I guess I'll be jiggling a little longer...

Ich Bin Ein Berliner

As you clever internets figured out, we hopped on a flight to Berlin. For those of you who guessed Prague - that was our destination of choice back in October, when we spent a 3-day-weekend in that beautiful city.

Back to Berlin.

Sadly, we had bad weather, so you'll have to use your imagination when viewing the pictures below. Grey and rainy skies do not make for good photography. In addition, the bus and U-bahn drivers were on strike, making it slightly more of an effort to get around. Good for the old leg muscles, though walking in stormy weather wasn't the funnest thing ever. Still, without whiny boys, we were pretty much game for anything.



We flew into Schoenefeld airport, in former East-Berlin, and hopped on the train into town. On Mike's suggestion, I had booked a hotel near the Kurfurstendamm, the premier shopping street of former West-Berlin.

The very first thing that caught my eye as we stepped out of Zoo Station was the ruins of the Kaiser Wilhelm church:

Clearly this was once a building of monumental dimensions, but following a British RAF air strike in 1943, all that was left was the burned out remains of the belfry. At first, I was amazed that the city had kept these ruins, because it seemed to be such a harsh reminder of the war, but I soon realized that this was only one of numerous such mementos of the city's violent past.

We started our tour of the city by catching the train - the only public transportation still running - to the brand new Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the largest Central Station in Europe.



It is a sight to behold, all wrapped in wavy glass and steel, spanning several concourses and with the requisite shopping and free wi/fi making it a highlight of modern Berlin.



The Central Station is situated straight across for the German Reichstag building, which I posted a yummy chocolate version of yesterday. Although the external walls of the building date back to the 1800s, the building was completely gutted and renovated after German unification, and the dome was added as a nod to the cupola of the original building.



Entrance to the dome is free, provided you have the patience to line up in the rain and undergo an airport-like security screening. It offers a 360 degree view of Berlin, and directly below it, through a glass floor, the German parliament may be observed when in session. Sadly, the rain and wind were at their worst when we made it to the top of the dome, so we could only imagine the spectacular views you'd have on a sunny day. Still, the construction of the dome and the circular pathway to its top alone made it a worthwhile visit.





The Reichstag is just a stone's throw from the famed Brandenburger Tor. Brandenburger Tor was one of only a couple of structures on Pariser Platz to survive the relentless bombing leading up to the Nazi defeat in 1945. Dating back to the 1700s, this is one of the true jewels of the city. Even on a rainy and miserable day, the building took you back to another time, when citizens were only allowed to pass through the two outermost gates, while the Emperor entered through the middle arched entry and drove up Unter den Linden boulevard to the Palace:



Brandenburger Tor was of course also the site of President Reagan's famous - and incredibly well-timed - 1987 speech: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

The most striking thing about modern day Berlin is the constant juxtaposition of venerable heritage buildings with new, modern, glass-and-steel construction. We saw several examples of this along the way, including this Frank Gehry signature inside a DZ Bank building connected to Brandenburger Tor:



What is it? I have no idea, and apparently neither does anyone else. Its sheer construction, though, is mind boggling, leaving us as puzzled and amused as when we caught sight of this entertaining addition to the German Historical Museum:



Much of new Berlin is like this - airy and fun. The Potsdamer Platz shopping mecca is a feat of engineering marvel, with the Sony roof astounding spectators as it lights up the night with the colours of the rainbow. For us, however, it proved a great place to find shelter from the biting rain and wind, as well as an opportunity to pick up an extra sweater for our trek onwards:



But as I alluded to earlier, don't be fooled by the lightness of new construction - you don't have to dig deep to find layers of Berlin's painful past. Memorials are everywhere - such as parts of the Berlin wall, still preserved by the entrance to the above-mentioned Potsdamer Platz:



Standing in front of the Sony and Daimler Chrysler Centres, it was difficult to imagine a time just 20 years ago, when neighbours could not meet and families could not visit. And yet, throughout Berlin, along the former site of the wall are memorial markings that do not allow us to forget:



For me the most heart-wrenching experience was the Holocaust memorial we visited a block south of the Brandenburger Tor:



It consists of 2711 slabs of concrete of various heights. It is stark, serious and shockingly effective.



We also visisted the Topography of Terror, an outdoor museum on the site of the headquarters of the SS and Gestapo during World War II. Having grown up in Europe, I studied the war extensively in school, but actually being on the site where so many of the atrocities took place brought it home in a much more real and personal way.

The museum displays are housed in the ruined cellars of the Gestapo headquarters, where many political prisoners were tortured and executed. Large placards with photos of victims being deported to their deaths still stun today. I don't think any visitor to the museum can help but feel horrified by the sheer evil that occurred in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly in central Europe.

Our lightening fast visit to Berlin was obviously quite the study in contrasts. I was not prepared to be so openly and brutally confronted with Europe's bloody past, but at the same time, I was also surprised by how far Berlin has come in its unification efforts. If it hadn't been for the wall markers along the streets, and the memorials, it would be impossible to tell former East Berlin from West Berlin, at least in the city centre.

It is absolutely to Berlin's credit that, while the city today is a world metropolis with great shopping, restaurants and architecture, it does not attempt to hide the atrocities of years gone by. Rather, these legacies have been incorporated into the present day, and help form a mosaic of human history that is absolutely unique to Berlin.

Moreover, Berliners are friendly, welcoming and helpful, my pathetic German notwithstanding, and the hotels are absolutely world class.

I only hope I have a chance to visit again (in better weather!) to enjoy a stroll along the beautiful Unter den Linden boulevard and perhaps go for a run around the Tiergarten park, or on the Charlottenburg Castle grounds.