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The Glories of Kensington: Uncovering magic inside and out

With a swan on Round Lake.

This post is the fourteenth in our “England 2015”:/news/category/travel/england-2015/ series.

After our over-the-top breakfast at Rochelle Canteen, it turned out we were positioned nicely to stop at Kensington Gardens and the Palace on our way back toward home base. I had heard that the Peter Pan statue was a must-see, so we headed through the Italian Garden Fountains, stopping briefly to wonder at the blue heron bathing in the waters. Continue reading “The Glories of Kensington: Uncovering magic inside and out”

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Rochelle Canteen: In search of the best scrambled eggs on earth

Breakfast at Rochelle Canteen.

This post is the thirteenth in our “England 2015”:/news/category/travel/england-2015/ series.

When we starting making our bucket list of things we’d like to do in England, I noticed that I didn’t have very many things that were meaningful to me, personally. There were lots of things I wanted to do with my family, but it was hard for me to identify activities that were a must-do for me. I finally came up with two: I wanted to go running in London (you’ll read later about how that turned out), and I wanted to visit Rochelle Canteen. Continue reading “Rochelle Canteen: In search of the best scrambled eggs on earth”

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Somebody Stop Me: The wax and wane of appetites

A full English breakfast at the Regency Cafe in London.

This post is the twelfth in our “England 2015”:/news/category/travel/england-2015/ series.

Travel invites the indulgence of appetites — so many things to eat! and see! and do! and more to eat! The impermanent quality of life on a trip inspires that carpe-diem instinct, urging us to take in more and more since we’ll be back home mowing the lawn before we know it. Continue reading “Somebody Stop Me: The wax and wane of appetites”

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The Four Things: Focusing at the British Museum

Viewing the Rosetta Stone.

This post is the tenth in our “England 2015”:/news/category/travel/england-2015/ series.

“One day some soldiers were digging near Rosetta when they found a stone, something like a tombstone with three kinds of writing on it….This stone is called the Rosetta Stone. It is now in the great British Museum in London and is very famous, because from it we were able to learn so much history that we otherwise would not have known.” — V.M. Hillyer, A Child’s History of the World Continue reading “The Four Things: Focusing at the British Museum”

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Touring the Playgrounds: Frolicking our way through England’s jungle gyms

This post is the ninth in our “England 2015”:/news/category/travel/england-2015/ series.

At Trafalgar Square

In our trip-planning, Jon and I had discussed our philosophy of travel, specifically what efforts must be made to guard against the overextension of our children. “We’re here to have fun,” we said. “We won’t be able to cram everything in, and we want to have some blank space in our days for spontaneous moments.” This developed into a clear policy: No more than two major activities each day. This guideline allowed us to tackle some delightful adventures as well as protect time for spontaneous experiences and frivolous excursions — including impromptu stops at a variety of playgrounds. Continue reading “Touring the Playgrounds: Frolicking our way through England’s jungle gyms”

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How to Talk English: Learning to embrace Britishisms

Posing with King Henry VIII.

This post is the seventh in our “England 2015”:/news/category/travel/england-2015/ series.

As soon as we had secured our plane tickets, our first task was to contact our dear friend and host Teresa, a spunky, energetic 86-year-old Englishwoman. She and the Boyd family have been friends for decades, and she has been urging us to bring our family to visit for years. Continue reading “How to Talk English: Learning to embrace Britishisms”