Reality Check

I received some feedback from home that our life here seems too picture-perfect (how can all of this traveling be reality, I mean, come on!!).  Yes, we are blessed beyond measure to be living this amazing adventure.  However, life here has not been all fun and games.  It has been hard work.

I chose to focus my overall blog on the highlights of our time here - the grand adventures we get to take when Chris is not working until all hours of the night to keep up with Utah business hours, or when I am not throwing laundry into our small euro-style clothes washer (sans dryer) that hums next to the kitchen sink. I have filtered my stories this way because I assume people don't want to hear about my dirty laundry (yes, pun intended).  Also, people can't hear about Chris' medical device because his company's progress can't be broadcast on a blog anyways.


Thus, at this point in the blog, I feel it is important to give a larger perspective of our life here for one blog post, so that you can understand our experiences a little better. I'm only going to address these things once, because I like the blog better when we cover our family highlights.  You don't exactly want to broadcast happy photos of a family shopping excursion at the grocery store.:)
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Chris has battled over hours and hours to set us up with actual UK credit and debit cards, a bank account, a reimbursement system, money transfers, new cell phone plans, etc.  There have been more scares and frustrations than successes in this realm, because every organization has different hoops that they make one jump through, and the systems are not built for foreigners.    To paint a vivid picture of this craziness, one day in early June, we were expecting a wire transfer from Chris' company and it hadn't gone through quickly enough.  Chris then discovered we had been overcharged x3 for a large online purchase.  As a result, to our horror, we then discovered that we only had 7 pounds (approximately $11) in our entire UK bank account.  Never in my life have Chris and I counted our coins on the couch, and planned how we would spend each one. (Don't worry, that chaotic experience has definitely been resolved - please don't send money!!)

On average, Chris works about 65 hours a week.  Ironically, I see Chris much more now with his crazy work hours than I did back at home because he is often working from our flat.  Often, he will have sporatic meetings with doctors or nurses in local hospitals, so we sandwich adventures around those meetings.  Sometimes, he comes home and has to make conference calls to Utah (Utah business hours end at midnight).  Chris also averages about 2 daytrips a week to other cities in the UK so that he can meet with other doctors and nurses (you aren't hearing about those trips because they are brief, and everything involved is work-related - I don't go on those).

I am busy as a full-time mom.  Everyone knows this is a serious job, and it lasts from sun-up to sun-down.  Since we have arrived here, Matthew has been sick several times, so I have had to deal with his sicknesses.  This includes skype calls to the Pediatrician back home and navigating the children's medicine aisle where drug names like Tylenol are listed very differently.  Matthew is a joy to be around, but I still clean up a lot of spilled milk.  I try to take him on daily adventures when Chris is working.  Sometimes I take him to play close by, and sometimes we travel into Central London and tour around as mum and baby.  Matthew has also loved being around his dad more often, and I have loved that Chris can interact more with him during the day.

We haven't left Matthew with a babysitter, or temporarily turned care over to anyone at all, since we arrived two months ago.  Our ward hasn't been the babysitter haven we had originally assumed it would be, so we have adapted and Matthew goes absolutely everywhere we do. We love our son dearly, and this has been great for bonding, but there have been no breaks except for naps and bedtime (as a result, we stay up too late!!).  We think we have finally found a babysitter for a few planned occasions in the future, but now we worry that Matthew will be very very uncomfortable when we leave.  Even a brief absence will likely throw him into an emotional tailspin. He will be scared to death!

We do not own a car - this has proven to be physically arduous business.  Every day, if we want or need to go anywhere, we walk just under a 1/2 mile to our neighborhood's high street where we catch the underground or the train. If we are running late, we run. We push Matthew in the stroller or wear him in a front pack (he will nap in the front pack sometimes) and he isn't exactly light anymore.  The high street is also where our local grocery store, post office, bank, local restaurants and other shopping stores are located. Sometimes we walk to the high street twice in a day.  Often, we push loads of groceries or home goods back in the stroller.  The walk home is a gradual hill.  On average, we each walk about 2-2.5 miles every day.


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As one can see, our lives are not necessarily easy, but we do have some great perks and our adventure is definitely worth the frustrations. The biggest perk is that we can continue to enjoy wonderful places.  We have made touring a priority and we will continue to do so.  We are definitely blessed to be here, but it is work.  I hope you are enjoying reading about our adventures, and I hope this posting gives you some perspective on what we do.  Now, on to postings about Windsor Castle and Scotland . . .
        

Cheeky monkeys at the London Zoo

One of our first weekends here in London, we decided to visit the London Zoo. It was a beautifully sunny afternoon, which we have since come to understand is a rare thing here.
The highlight of the visit was our stop at the monkey enclosure. We had some empty food bags (whoops!) on our stroller (or pushchair, as they say in England). The monkeys decided to board our stroller and do some investigating. Once onboard, there was nothing that we could do to get them off, so I decided to take a few pictures.  Eventually, they found the used Ziploc and made a run for it.
Cheeky little monkeys!

Willkommen in Deutschland!!

We spent June 20-23 in Hamburg, Germany so that Chris could audit a potential product supplier there.   The brief trip was an excursion into the unknown for us, as we dealt with a mega-language barrier in a city and country that we didn't know. Though my 2002 study abroad experience to Austria proved valuable in the German department, I only managed to remember basic greetings and a very minimal amount of vocab. Chris really couldn't communicate unless people spoke his language, which he definitely wasn't used to.  He enjoyed the adventure while it lasted, but I know he breathed a huge sigh of relief when he arrived in the London Gatwick airport and could read all signage again. :)

Hamburg is a wealthy and modern industrial city with an eccentric attitude.  It sits on the wide Elbe river (it is so wide it feels like a bay) in Northern Germany.  The city has a canal structure that is similar to that of Amsterdam.  Historically, the Hamburgers were tough traders and hustlers on their river.


Unfortunately,World War II Allied bomb attacks ravaged much of historic Hamburg.  A few historic buildings and churches survived the bombings, and they are gems, but modern structures and wide streets abound.  The wide planned streets reminded me of a home far away.

While in Hamburg, we watched CRAZY 'fussball' fans!!!  I have never seen sports fanatics so dressed up in team garb just to watch a game at their local bars!!  On the Friday night of our stay, Germany played Greece and beat them. We watched the game from the tv in our hotel room while our babe slept.  Every time the German team would score, cheers would erupt out of our window from the surrounding neighborhood.  When Germany won, car horns blasted for at least half an hour.  One would have thought it was a holiday. (FYI, Spain took the UEFA title last week).

 The busy Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (central train station).  Notice all of the global brands.

 Rare old Hamburg architecture that wasn't gutted by allied bombers in WWII.

 Cool door knocker.

A view over the Binnenalster (a large planned open-water area in the downtown).

The 'Hamburger Art und Spezialität' - Currywurst.  Currywurst restaurants are everywhere here. The stuff really doesn't taste much like art at all.  It's not exactly a hamburger either. :)

 

Chris liked the sign.

 Michaeliskirche - This is the crown jewel of Hamburg. Almost the entire neighborhood around this church was flattened during WWII.

View of the pretty Rathaus (city hall) from across the Aussenfleet.

Fun on a canal boat tour. (We didn't know that there were English translation pamphlets on the dock until it was too late. I guess that is what language barriers will do to you!!)

 Cuddles

 These homes sit on a canal and were original structures probably built sometime in the 18th or 19th centuries.  They are built in a Dutch style (we weren't that far from Denmark and the Netherlands!).  The one on the left is incredibly tilty.

 You can tell mom and dad were having fun :).

 Nappy dude.

 Meant to be?  Our boat.

 Irony of the day - we found this monument in a park. I was amazed that the Hamburg government would allow deviant youth to ruin such a significant sculpture. This sits on a hill above the Elbe river and was built to demonstrate German strength to those floating below. You can see just how massive this monument is by comparing it to Chris' height. He is standing above the grey stones. 

Farewell to Deutschland and the river Elbe.

Happy Birthday Matthew!!!

On Tuesday June 19, we celebrated Matthew's special day!!  We know a lot of people love him and missed him on this day.  Thank you for sending your love our way:).  Matthew had a great birthday.

Matthew had such a fun unbirthday party with his family before we left, that we kept his birthday more low key this year.  On his birthday, I took him to a fun play place (I found a London local favorite).  There, he met other toddlers, climbed around on soft mats, knocked over soft blocks, slid down a slide, threw play food all over the floor, and listened to the 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' soundtrack.  Then, we met up with Chris and took Matthew on a fun birthday picnic in St. James' park.  The sun was out and the evening was glorious. Matthew had a great time smashing his chocolate cake all over his clothes.  He even got a kind birthday surprise from a passing Russian lady, who gave him a Russian magnet:).

Matthew building a glacier.

 Matthew and his horse. Ride 'em cowboy!

 Matthew likes his candle.

 I wasn't kidding about the smashing:)

Matthew enjoying his cake.

 present time

 cool book

 another cool book

 'That is weird, Dad . . .'

 '. . . so I will eat it.'

 'I will eat Dad's finger . . .'

 Speechless

The logistics behind a birthday picnic, an afternoon out, and a business trip without a car on a potentially rainy day. Yes, we are bag people:).

Happy Father's Day

On Sunday June 17th, we celebrated Father's Day by taking a picnic to our local park.  This lovely spot is about a 10 minute walk from our front door.  A year ago on Father's Day, I experienced the most amazing event of my life:). This day marked the 1 year anniversary of a very special day and a very special little boy.

 Happy Father's Day!!!

 'Dad, dad, look at the crazy birds . . .'

 Swans in tandem

 'My dad took me on a cool spinny thing . . .'

 ' . . . and then he let me ride it myself!!'

   'My dad is the best ever!!!'

Kew Gardens

On Thursday June 14th, we visited Kew Gardens, in the South-London neighborhood of Richmond.  Kew Gardens is definitely a unique place, as it is an arboretum . . . on steroids.  It has been dubbed a UNESCO world heritage site, because the Kew organization is responsible for approximately 19,000 plant specimens growing in the London area (and that doesn't count the 85,000 they have in a research institution somewhere!!).  Yep, they are pretty serious about their plants:). Their organization is one of the world leaders in botany, conservation and research.

We saw trees and foliage from Africa, Asia, the Amazon, and the alpine highlands (some of those looked familiar).  Chris found his treasure for the day with the charming Titan Arum plant, which lets off a stench of rotting flesh once every 2-3 years when it briefly blooms (you may have heard of this because the plant has achieved viral cyber fame).  We also saw carnivorous plants that eat flies and small mammals like mice.  Crazy stuff.

Chris and I joked that our day's adventure was reminiscent of the Counting Crows song 'Big Yellow Taxi.'

They took all the trees
And put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
(Sixteen pounds) to see 'em

Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got
Til its gone
They paved paradise 
And put up a parking lot

Kew was definitely a fascinating spot to visit.  I've never seen foliage taken so seriously, and I'm grateful they do.

Smilin' with the plants . . .

 Matthew takes a break to ride a snail.

 Chris and his stinky plant.

 Check out how expansive this greenhouse is . . . and this is just one of them!!!

 This bug is dinner.  The plant has trapped it in a self-made super glue.

Gorgeous trellises

 Bonsai house and a napping dude

Lovely

This is the Thames west of the central city.

A Visit to Manchester

On Friday and Saturday June 8th-9th, we visited Manchester so Chris could do some work in a hospital.  Manchester is about 3 hours north of London by train.  It is a 'newer' city by European standards.  Manchester was founded in the mid- 1800's and boomed around the turn of the 20th century during the industrial revolution.  It was the home of  thriving textile mills at the time.  This modern city was built around the ancient Roman fort of Mancunian, the ruins of which we saw.


Manchester prides itself on their two pro football (aka soccer) teams, and the people love the fact that they are NOT from London.  We witnessed quite a bias against 'those rude southerners.'  The city's elevated public transit and industrial red brick factory buildings reminded me of Chicago, but the city's population is much smaller than that.  The city and surrounding areas have about the population of the Salt Lake metropolitan area.

We stayed in a unique hotel called The Palace.  It was a fantastic old Art Deco finance building that has been since converted into a hotel.  Our ceiling in our bedroom had to be about 20 feet high.  We enjoyed tiled walls, gorgeous wood moldings, and a classic clawfoot tub.  Check out the pictures.

Our cool hotel:

 The longest window drapes I have ever seen. "Is this room actually stretching . . .?"

A corridor near the lobby.

 The lobby under the dome. To give you a perspective of the enormous ceiling height, check out the size of the luggage cart!! 

 View of The Palace Hotel from the rainy street.

Yay for beans and eggs on toast:)

Matthew and his new sheep friends.