The London Times V

Another bad night and great day. Just when I thought I had the jet lag thing conquered...I don't. I was up from about 2:00 until after 5:00 this morning. I don't know why. I slept awhile, we switched rooms because ours smelled like cigarette smoke (part of why I couldn't sleep well), then hit the road. We went to the British Museum. Heading down the always busy street towards the bus stop, Braeden said that he liked London and was getting used to it. He said, "Home will seem really calm after this." Yes, blessedly so.

We were going to only do the Greece and Roman rooms today but the kids wanted to do Egypt too. We had a good time. I especially loved the remnants of the Parthenon that are there. I can't imagine what it must have looked like when it was new. Amazing. Braeden was my personal Egyptian tour guide. He's read every book about Egypt in the Sno-Isle library system so I benefitted from his knowledge. Adam's sister gave each kid $20 for souvenirs and we went to the gift shop and argued about what they should get and I assured Braeden that no, I didn't want to buy the Harry Potter chess set that cost £45. No, Dad wouldn't be glad I did. No. No.

Back at the hotel I took another nap then we headed off to yet another delicious pub dinner with Adam. From there we hurried to St. Paul's Cathedral for a concert. It was amazing!!!! St. Paul's is my favorite church I've seen here. We went to a recording for BBC 2 radio that will be broadcast on Good Friday. There was an orchestra and soloists and actors reading and the St. Paul's Consort Choir. The acoustics were incredible and I loved the entire thing. It was about two hours which was about 1 hour and 45 minutes too long for Braeden and Emma but Adam and I loved it and figured it wouldn't hurt them. No one ever died from sitting still in a church. Well, maybe they have but I don't think those two were in danger.

Wow! St. Paul's Cathedral

Whenever she could, Emma hop-scotched on the paved squares

So it was back to our hotel where we talked to Mark and he kissed the phone and said it meant he was kissing me. I'll be happy to see my boy again.

The London Times IV

First a word on Mark. I miss him. We all do but I think I do especially because I'm his mom and he's my baby. I know he's having a wonderful time with his grandparents...and talking their ears off in the process. I also know that I would be a nervous wreck here with him...trying to keep him from climbing on everything and holding my hand...I'm having enough trouble keeping track of his siblings. I miss him though. I do.

We've had an interesting day and are glad to be "home" at our hotel. We woke up very early because we're all in one small room and Emma woke up at 5:00. We had breakfast and were all snapping at each other because we were tired. Adam said we should lay down and rest. I didn't think we'd fall asleep. At noon, Adam shook me awake and had an equally hard time getting Braeden and Emma awake. The sun was streaming in a crack in the curtains and Adam had been up making noise but we were out cold.

On our way off for our adventures we unhappily were on the bus next to some young teenagers. They were using really terrible language. If you're younger than 15 here you can ride the bus for free and a lot of unaccompanied kids do. These three were really foul. One boy stood up right behind us and a long and steady stream of curses came out of his mouth. Adam used (an admittedly toned down version of) The Dad Voice and asked him to be more polite. The kid said, continuing to insert swear words between every other word, said "What are you going to do about it?" and kept threatening Adam to try something. Adam just stood very close to the kid, blocking him from us and he got off at the next stop. I'm amazed that all of the other adults on the bus stood for it. Adam said it's a Lord of the Flies society. All the kids are in schools and childcare and then left to their own devices the rest of the time. It's very true. I've seen parents with very young children but no families together. All the kids seem to be in large groups with caregivers.

Adam has been to Camden Locks and the market there and thought it would be a good place to walk around and eat lunch. We HATED it. How to describe it? Sodom and Gomorrah, Babylon and the Las Vegas strip all come to mind. It was beyond crowded and everyone was smoking and/or scary looking. Not a great place. We ate lunch and beat a hasty retreat.

We were happy to see the comparably genteel and calm National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Braeden and Emma had a great time running and playing and being kids in the Square. I think they get tired of being shushed all the time.

Emma taking it all in

Climbing on the lion

Beautiful Trafalgar Square

I had a list of paintings I didn't want to miss in the National Gallery and we saw the originals of several paintings we've studied in school which was thrilling. From there we went to Evensong at St. Martin's in the Fields. Nothing like capping off your Sunday with a little Anglican church service. It was interesting...not as impressive as Evensong at Westminster Abbey but it was a good look into how others live and worship.

After a few tries we finally found a pub that would serve kids on our way home. There aren't many kid friendly places around. I guess because there aren't a lot of families hanging out together. We had a good dinner and made it back to the executive lounge for lemon custard.

The love of my life...looking tired

Riding the Tube home

The London Times III

We've had another great London day. We went to a show today called Lighten Up. It was a light and puppet show which doesn't even begin to describe it. It was geared for kids but entertaining for all of us. The audience was a very different crowd of Londoners than we've encountered on the buses and Tube. I guess because there were so many kids. I realized that in this city of so many languages and ethnicities, everyone there was very anglo-saxon. After the play we went to the Thames which Emma proclaimed looked like split pea soup with waves. And there were waves because there was wind. The weather has made me long for the mildness of Seattle. We crossed the Tower Bridge on foot and got up close to the Tower of London including the Roman ruins.

Braeden and Emma playing on the steps near the Thames and the city hall

City Hall

Thelma, Emma and Braeden with the Tower Bridge in the background

The Tower of London (from across the river)

On the Tower Bridge

Braeden contemplating some medieval ruins

The other side of the Tower of London

Braeden, playing Roman emperor

Emma climbing on Roman ruins...she said, "Now I've been to Rome."

Our next stop was Greenwich (where Braeden decided it must mean an eco-friendly sandwich) and the Prime Meridian. Braeden and Emma got to straddle the eastern and western hemispheres and we strolled through the thoroughly beautiful Old Royal Navy College.

Hanging out on the Prime Meridian

My favorite eating experience (aside from the blessed scones) when I was in London before was at a pub in Greenwich. We passed several pubs that Adam thought would be good alternatives but I insisted on the Spanish Galleon where I could get the same chicken I had before. I didn't remember the name of the chicken, but I knew it would come back to me.

Well, it wasn't on the menu. They have a lot of nerve to take something like that off the menu! I settled for what Braeden and Emma had been wanting the whole trip...bangers and mash. They didn't end up liking it but I did.

Emma and Braeden at the pub that didn't have the chicken

I'll close with a funny quote we saw on the side of a library on our way home tonight:

From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend on reading it.

--Groucho Marx

The London Times II

What a difference a little sleep can make. We all slept SO well last night...well Emma and Adam haven't quite given up the enterprise. Yesterday was quite a day.

We were all awake about 5:00 a.m. Braeden and Emma were extremely impatient to hit the road. I was armed with the travel plan that Adam had made for us and we set out for the Tube. The nice guy selling the one day passes for kids told me that if we'd wait 15 minutes...until after 9:30, they would be cheaper. Sounds good. We wandered down the street to a tiny grass area and sat on a park bench. I showed Emma the map because she kept insisting we were going to the Museum of Natural History first and I kept insisting we were walking through Kensington Gardens first. She finally believed me. We weren't the only ones aware of the 9:30 trick. When we got back in line, there were two sets of American parents there with their sons.

We went from the Tube to the bus to the park and I felt like a whiz. Braeden and Emma just take it for granted that they're going to get where they're headed but I have to concentrate. The walk through Kensington Gardens was freezing but beautiful. We saw all sorts of pretty birds and saw three young women exclaiming excitedly about something in (I think) Italian. We followed their gesturing and saw a squirrel climbing a tree. Kind of disappointing. We've seen squirrels.

Italian Garden in Kensington Gardens. Emma loved the swans.

Peter Pan Statue in Kensington Gardens.

We gazed up at the Albert Memorial and walked around it. I told Braeden and Emma that I must look like a person who has studied her Rick Steves' book because a man asked me who Albert was anyway.

Albert Memorial

We strolled through the campus of the Imperial College which looked a lot like Yale and went to the Museum of Natural History. The place was CRAWLING with school children. Braeden and Emma stood out because they weren't in uniform. There were a lot of great sights to be seen there. Braeden loved the dinosaur bones exhibit, Emma liked the insects and I was blown away by the life size blue whale. We spent 17 pounds on a lunch of two hot dogs for the kids and a bowl of soup for me. Yikes.

An escalator in the Natural History Museum that went through the center of the earth. It was huge and a little spooky.

I was feeling the effects of my sleepless night so I kept looking for benches to sit on. Braeden and Emma kept spurring me on. Ah youth.

Our next stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum. We wandered through the Japanese Samurai display...the swords for Braeden. We wandered through the sculptures and I promised a reward to the first person who found the Bernini sculpture that we'd just studied about last week in school. I didn't have a reward in mind and Braeden and Emma were too busy NOT looking at the naked statues to find it so I ended up pointing it out to them. Emma said, "Why don't they ever have any clothes on?" Sorry Em.

The cast courts which I loved last time I was here were as thrilling the second time around. I found a bench to sit on (phew!) and let the kids walk around the room then they showed me what they liked. Braeden and Emma were finally getting tired too so we moved to another room, found a comfy sofa in front of a display of albaster carvings of Jesus. Braeden read every word about each carving (he gets that from his dad who got it from HIS dad) and Emma and I played dots. I won.

We found a cafe and bought some bottled water. I had a pocketful of change so when she asked for £2.40, I just held out my hand full of coins and the cashier found the money she needed. Stupid American.

Over our "delightfully still" mineral water (and Emma's protestations of why does the water have to taste like that?) we decided that we were tired. And wanted to go back to our hotel. We had planned to meet Adam at the V&A. I swallowed hard and fished my Tube map out of my pocket. I mapped out a route home and it worked. This all may seem really silly...especially to the millions that use London transportation every day but I'm a dunce at that sort of thing so be impressed. I am.

Walking back from the Tube stop, we were in the rain. We know rain though...we're from Seattle. It didn't dampen my elation at my newfound competance. I made a deal with my kids. You let me sleep...so you need to read SILENTLY for 30 minutes, I will take you swimming. I hit the pillow and didn't move until Braeden woke me up and I stared at him for a while before I could process who he even was...I was that tired. We went to the pool and somehow the kids had the energy to race the length of the pool...there never was a clear winner and try to balance on kickboards. I sat in the steamy room and read and tried to recover,

When Adam came back, he was full of enthusiasm for more sightseeing. Our first stop was Marks & Spencer for some gloves for me. It's cold and since I'm not a true Davis as Braeden and Emma with the eternally warm hands pointed out, my hands have been freezing. We had a snack at M&S then headed out. Our first stop was St. Paul's Cathedral...all lit up and beautiful. Braeden and Emma ran up and down the steps and I tried to place myself next to Adam out of the swirling wind. We walked across the Thames on the Millenial Bridge to the Tate Modern Art Museum.

After that we were all cold and tired and ready for some food and bed. Adam knew where there was a pub that welcomed families by the Tower Bridge. Now getting there...We followed Adam in pursuit of a good bus route and whined a lot. We found a bus, found the pub and alas, no kids after 9:00. It was 9:30. Hmmmm. The buses aren't as frequent that time of night so we looked around and walked and walked and Adam commented that this was where Jack the Ripper had hung out...on the South Bank. Thanks for that. We found a bus stop...waited awhile then walked around the corner and waited at a different one. Nothing. We went BACK to the first one and finally FINALLY a bus! We took the bus to the Tube then transferred to a different line. We were a weary group. Braeden fell asleep on the train. On the walk back to our hotel, we dropped by Tasty Kebab for some take out. While they were preparing it, Emma lay her head on the table and fell asleep. Later, Braeden commented to Adam about us being lost. Adam said, "We weren't lost. Lost means you don't know where you are. We were confused. We didn't know where we were going." I guess it's all in your perception.

At 11:30, we were in our beds. And Adam left for the executive lounge to work because he had meetings in Seattle...where it was afternoon.

The London Times

We made it!

I am currently sitting in a dark hotel room, trying to let Adam sleep and keep Braeden and Emma to a whisper. We are messed up as far as sleep goes. If there's a trick to jet lag, we don't know it.

Yesterday...which was really two days...or one and a half (It's way too much math to consider the 8 hour time difference.) was full of adventure. Braeden and Emma don't remember flying so that was a new experience for them. When we were at Disneyland and riding on a Ferris wheel in California Adventure, Emma cried and wanted off and I let her. It didn't work on the tarmac in Seattle though. I wouldn't let her off. She was in panic mode because of the angle that she saw planes taking off. I assured her it wouldn't be THAT bad. She squeezed the life out of my hand at take-off then said, "Oh, that was fine." She spoke in stressed out clipped tones for the entire flight to Vancouver though. When I finally thought she'd recovered, she asked, "Is this plane out of control?" No, I think it's in control.

Take-off from Vancouver was nowhere near as intense. She was a pro by then. Neither Emma or I slept on the flight but Braeden did for about three hours. Emma was sitting by the window and every few minutes slid the window shade up and down to check out the view...or non view since we were above the clouds and it was dark most of the time. She discovered the Northern Lights in one of her window checks though. Everyone around us was asleep and it seemed like the show was just for Emma and me. The entire horizon was lit up with greenish blue light. I told Emma, "This is magical." She smiled at me and I was very happy to not be sleeping.

Braeden woke up very grumpy but by the time we'd landed he'd cheered up. We made our way through customs (thank you bright pink fast lane card!) and to Adam. We were a disheveled, bleary eyed, tangled hair mess but he was nice enough not to mind. The Heathrow Express train had some closed tracks so we had to take the Tube which took LONG and didn't afford any impressive views. At Paddington station switched to a taxi but not before we smelled french fries and followed our noses to McDonald's. A little bit of Americana. Adam groaned, "No, not McDonald's." I didn't know if I was hungry or not or what meal I should even be hungry for but Adam relented to the kids' pleas and bought lunch.

We finally got to our hotel, Adam went back to work and we napped. Braeden woke up happy this time and Emma was a snarling mean bear. I'm glad that they take turns not handling the sleep thing so far.

With Adam we went in search of some food...this time I was hungry...and went on the Tube to Westminster. We were still groggy and not completely convinced of the merits of our journey I think until we climbed the stairs out of the Tube station and were met with an eye full of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament all lit up against the night sky. Wow. We walked around and looked at the buildings and rode a double decker bus (front row...top deck) back to our hotel.

On the bus

The London Eye is in the background.

Big Ben

After a fitful night I'm ready(?) to hit the city streets. Our plan is Kensington Gardens, Victoria and Albert Museum and The Natural History Museum. Wish us luck.

Nervous Nelly

Tomorrow’s the big day. Heading off to London. And I am nervous.

I am worried I’m going to forget our passports. (When I mentioned this about a week ago, Adam looked at me like I was worried about forgetting to breathe. Just don’t forget them, he said.)

Among the many things that are good about Adam, he is great at traveling. He packs light and packs very well. Often when we’re going on a trip, he just takes over packing my suitcase when it won’t close. He takes everything out and refolds it and there’s room to spare. He also is rarely lost and if he is lost, he never panics, quickly regains his bearings and is just fine. I am almost always lost. I panic, get more lost and stress out my children.

If I was going to London with Adam, I would feel completely different. I’d let him worry—or not worry, because he doesn’t—about all the details. But he’s already there so it’s up to me.

I try to be prepared. I had Adam tell me everything I need to know for the trip. He could do it in his sleep but it was a mistake to ask. I got overwhelmed by all the details I don’t remember from when I went to London last time. “Remember that long hallway in the Vancouver airport?” No. “Remember when you get to customs in Heathrow?” No.

So now I’m trying to remember to go up instead of down on the escalators in Vancouver. To go to International Transfers instead of customs. To take the far right line in Heathrow customs because it’s the short one…for frequent fliers. I’m very obviously not a frequent flier and I’ll be arrested by the frequent flier police for fraud as soon as they see my clueless expression but Adam gave me his magic bright pink card that indicates I belong. We’ll see if I can pull it off.

So the actual getting to London is nerve wracking. My only saving grace there is my very extroverted son who is more than comfortable talking to anyone and everyone to get information. He’ll see me through.

Once we get there, Adam will be there to greet us, which is immensely comforting. He’ll take us to our hotel for a nap. Everyone in the world has a different way to combat jet lag. I’ve heard take melatonin, drink a lot of orange juice, drink a lot of water, eat a lot of protein three days ahead of the trip, eat a lot of carbohydrates two days before the trip, eat normally the day before the trip, don’t sleep when you get there if it’s not night time. Then Adam said we should take a short nap right when we get there. He’ll wake us up when he gets back from work and we’ll hit the town. OK. I already missed the boat on the changing my diet for three days and where does one find melatonin to take and how much do you take anyway? I even thought about drugging my children and self up on benadryl for the flight but it gives Emma hallucinations (seriously) and it knocks me out cold and I think I should be at least a little bit alert.

So assuming we get to London and can combat jet lag, my next item of anxiety (I excel at anxiety) is the navigating around the city while Adam's working. We will have two choices, underground or bus. Yesterday Adam told me that he was stuck in Paddington station for a few hours because someone was killed and they shut down several lines. Great. Wonderful. Adam clarified, they weren’t killed on the TRAIN, it was on the track. A train hit them or something. Oh, well that’s just fine then. Nothing to worry about. You can be very sure I’ll have an iron grip on my kids’ hands. Two kids, two hands, no letting go.

Then last night Emma talked to her grandma on the phone. She suggested Emma write down the name of our hotel on a piece of paper and put it in her pocket in case we get separated. What?! I did NOT need that idea planted in my head. I have NO intention of getting separated from my children.

It’s hard being a crazy woman. But there you have it.

And it isn’t all agitation. I am EXCITED. I have my plan all ready. We’re going to see some amazing things and hopefully my children will always remember this experience (for good reasons…oh no, there I go again). Yesterday I was flipping through a magazine and my eye caught a recipe for some scones. I nearly swooned. That’s right, scones! I remembered the scones I nibbled in little cafés and shops all over London every chance I got. Yes! Scones! We are going to have a marvelous time.

“Love is like an earthquake-unpredictable, a little scary, but when the hard part is over you realize how lucky you truly are.”

My 20-plus-miles-from-home hometown is Wells, NV. I grew up in the middle of the sagebrush but we drove the dusty gravel and paved roads to Wells for school and church.

Wells is an interesting place. If you didn’t have a compelling reason to stop there, like gas or food, you wouldn’t. My college professors, a married couple, Tom and Louise Plummer, teased me about Nevada and said that they played a game when they drove through the small towns of Nevada. They would challenge each other, “What would you do if God said you had to live THERE?” Wells is that kind of town. The wind blows. There are two legal brothels and no movie theater. The streets are empty. There’s one flashing red light at a four way stop.

And I love Wells.

There are the best kind of people that live there. And in the outlying ranching areas. People wave at each other and greet each other. The high school gym is packed for every basketball game and more than packed for every high school graduation. Everyone wears the really hideously ugly high school colors…orange and black…with pride. People are loyal to each other and stick together, especially the down on their luck types, of which there are plenty.

When I was growing up, along with other Mormon families, we would go to the annual Presbyterian Harvest Dinner after church. The school borrowed chairs and tables from the Mormon church for school events and when I was in about 7th grade, we had church at the high school while our church was being remodeled.

Wells was a soft place to fall while growing up. Some of my teachers had taught my parents in school. I could walk anywhere safely. There wasn’t a person I could run into that didn’t know that I was a Dahl and who my parents and grandparents were.

There was an earthquake in Wells yesterday. It sounds like it was traumatizing. I didn’t even know about it until I got an email from Nate who is Rachel’s husband. Rachel, one of my favorite people and former college roommate, went in the hospital yesterday to give birth. Nate wanted to tell me that news but Rachel also was concerned about the earthquake in Wells and wondering about my family. What!?

I called my dad. As the phone rang, I imagined they were either fine or buried under a pile of rubble. That must be why I hadn’t heard from them. Thankfully it was the former. And they’d been on the phone all morning. My family lives on a lot of “round rocks” as my dad said and a log house, like my parents’, apparently rolls right with the punches.

Like the good sisters in Zion that they are, my sisters were on the phone, checking on the people they visit teach and friends. Marianne couldn’t get a hold of her husband, who’s the bishop. He wasn’t answering his cell phone. He was driving around visiting people and checking on things. Part of the church was condemned and he was dealing with that and helping wherever he could. I love Robert and his earnest goodness so it warms my heart to picture him in that setting.

My other dear friend and college roommate, Erin, called to check on my family and later in the day I heard from Ilene Stubbs, who moved from here to Utah last year. She remembered my family was from Wells and wondered how they were. My sisters-in-law contacted me and wondered how everything was.

I couldn’t help it. I felt loved. My heart was nearly 1000 miles away all day in a little beat up town in rural Nevada but my friends were right there with me.

Yesterday the Relief Society presidency called my dad (who is grateful for his recent release as bishop, I’m guessing) and asked him to make a roast. They were feeding people last night. Along with others, they fed 500 (at the elementary school because the high school gym is condemned as well). Most people had utilities restored by then I think but they needed to be together. Needed to hear each other’s stories and support each other. It’s what small towns do best.

So, Tom and Louise, I guess if God said, “You have to live THERE,” it would be OK with me.


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