More Warsaw

We spent most of our afternoons walking around Warsaw. This time of year the sun is setting around 4 pm and it was REALLY cold out.

There's a Hard Rock Cafe in Warsaw. The sign out front says "Choppers Parking Only." We thought the two scooters parked there were pretty funny. (Polish for Choppers?)

Maybe it is because I like family history so much, or maybe I am just weird... but I think cemeteries are massively interesting. This is the Catholic part of a cemetery in Warsaw-- dating back to at least the 1500s.

This is part of the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw. It just goes on and on for as far as you can see. (And for at least 2 tram stops, which is how far we had to go to get to the entrance from the Catholic side.)

Maybe if you click on the photo you can read the bottom- but it says, "In memory of one million children murdered by Nazi German barbarians 1939-1945."

Charlotte was desperate to make a friend in Poland. Newel teased her that she came to the wrong country for making friends... but she ADORED Karolina. So see! She did make a friend in Poland. ;)

Toby relaxing in the kids play area at the hotel.
He's just so cute, I had to include this photo.

Rob & Newel pushing the strollers.
We took Super Scrabble with us and one afternoon Rob and Newel had a quiet game while Karolina and I took the kids shopping and to the playground. It was nice to relax and visit with family and let the kids play. It was a non-traditional Thanksgiving for sure, but thank you for spending it with us!

Did I mention that it was REALLY cold?? ;)

We saw Warsaw!

Poland has really had it hard, ya know? Even just in the past hundred years, they've been trampled on first by the Nazis and then by the Soviets. They've only really been independent again for the past 20 years. I thought Warsaw was really interesting-- especially with Newel & Karolina to show us around. And it was great to meet our littlest nephew- Jack. :)

This is what I imagined Warsaw would look like... and this also happens to be the view from our hotel room.

One of the first places that we went was Lazienki Park. The grounds were beautiful and scattered with buildings from past rulers. (Rebuilt post-bombing, as is most of Warsaw.)

Toby & I in front of the Palace on the Water.

The Warsaw Andersons- Karolina, Newel, and Jack.

Scary playground equipment is not just a German thing.

Charlotte and Toby both loved scattering the pigeons.

Frederic Chopin was from Warsaw- did ya know that? They really, really like him there. Here is his statue in the park. The airport is also named after him, among other things. (Also, FYI, Marie Curie was from Warsaw.)

Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be freedom fighters.

The Warsaw Rising Museum was our one museum stop on this trip and it was a good one! They have a "Little Insurgents Room" where we let the kids play while the grown-ups took turns learning about two months in 1944 when the Varsovians fought back against the Nazis. (Sadly they ultimately lost and then the Soviets moved in.) The displays were really interesting and movingly presented. Their website is good too- http://www.1944.pl.

Charlotte poking the Hitler puppet's eyes. ;)

This is the Palace of Culture and Science, an infamous "gift" from Stalin that the Poles have a love-hate relationship with. Mostly now it just has office space.

We happened to be at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier just as the guard changed. No band or fanfare, but it was very precisely done.

THIS is what I didn't expect to see in Warsaw, but was happy to! The Old Town has been restructured and was colorful and busy and they even had the Christmas Market up and running. :)


Christmas tree, shopping kiosks, live music, and crowds.

Sadly, this was the food we got at the Christmas market. This is Polish for pizza-- carrots, green beans, corn, and onions on a crust and covered in KETCHUP! Ugh. We did have some good food in Poland though- I liked the Pierogorie- a restaurant totally devoted to pierogies- awesome. And our last meal in Warsaw was at The Sphinx- which had yummy middle-eastern-ish food. But, mostly the food was not thrilling and we ate from both Pizza Hut and McDonalds on this trip.

Mr. Toby Tobias

If you're ever feeling blue, you can borrow Toby (but only for a little while!) I don't know how anyone could spend time with our "little man" and not smile. :)

Trunk or Treat

On Friday night we took our kids to a Trunk-or-Treat at our church. There was a Halloween party and soup/chili cook-off and bake-off inside. After that the parents all opened up our car or van trunks in the parking lot and decorated them a bit and handed out candy to the kiddos. :) Yes, once again, I failed to take many pictures at the event. BUT, this time I planned on that happening and took some pictures of the kids before we left the house. :D

(I sooooo wish I had a picture of Rob and Gilles dancing to Thriller in the parking lot!!! Maybe next year?)

Carving our Jack-o-lantern on Wednesday. Seems like (for now at least) I'm the only one who actually enjoys this tradition.

Bumblebee with a 'tude.

There's our cute girl! (With Little Polar as usual.)

Toby did not like wearing his costume... but he stopped crying long enough to blow me some kisses. Awww, he is the sweetest little monster. ;)

My Pumpkin Cake.
It was a pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting that I made to look like a pumpkin. (har har) It was good too! It even won 2nd place in the bake-off. ;)

Charlotte's 3rd Birthday

This past Saturday we celebrated Charlotte's birthday. (She actually turned 3 on Monday, but she doesn't know that.) She had 3 of her friends over for lunch and birthday cake. Originally I thought I was going to be all ambitious and organize some kiddie games-- but it was pretty obvious that the kids were happy just to play together and so I didn't force any party games on them. See, I can be flexible! (Sometimes.)

Ella, baby Kate, Jack, baby Lucas, and Charlotte having some lasagna and snacky foods with some of the parents. (My first time making lasagna, it turned out to be not so bad.)

Charlotte wanted a "Princess Castle" cake. I did the best I could... although I realized as I was attaching the ice cream cone turrets, that I should have leveled the cake before icing it. She loved it though, so that's all that matters, right? (Charlotte's buddy Anton in the background-- they are practically joined at the hip lately and get into all sorts of mischief!)

Charlotte loved all of her gifts! She got this Cinderella Barbie from Anton though (that he picked out himself) and I didn't remember it then, but not long ago at church Charlotte kept losing her shoe while she and Anton were running down the hall. He would bring it back to her and say, "Cinderella, your shoe!" Way to go, Anton. ;)

At 3 years old, Charlotte is:

- Hilariously dramatic. She is always posing, and dancing, and making up songs and stories. She has recently started blurting out Spanish in the car. (If only there were a German version of Dora or Diego!)
- Super social. She loves playgroup and storytime at the Library and going to church and any opportunity to see her friends.
- An expert traveler. By car, bus, plane, whatever-- she is ready and willing to go.
- A non-stop talker. The first sound I hear in the morning is often Charlotte talking to her stuffed animals, and she also talks herself to sleep at night... with very few breaks throughout the day. She has an immense vocabulary.
- A reader. Okay, maybe not. But she has memorized several of her books now and "reads" them herself. When she forgets a part, she points to the page and says, "Talk about it Mommy."
- A sweet, tender-hearted, stubborn, head-strong girl. We love our sweet girl, but sometimes she is a pice of work! She has her own ideas about how things should be and she is not afraid to express them. She can be a handful, but she is also quick to forgive and forget and often acts as a mediator between other kids when there are conflicts.
- Too clever by half. And creative. And silly. And adorable.

Happy birthday to my girl. :)

London Day 3

On our last day in London, we headed into the main part of the city to see the big tourist attractions there.

Rob and the kids with Big Ben in the background.

Westminster Abbey-- Charlotte and I went in while Rob & Toby strolled around outside. It's a pretty incredible church (no photos allowed inside) and also about 3,000 people are buried inside, including many kings and queens, what are believed to be the 'Princes in the Tower's' remains, and many, many others. My favorite spot was Poet's Corner in front of Chaucer's Grave-- T.S. Eliot, Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, and on and on.

Charlotte in front of Parliament.

We went over to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard (along with every other tourist in London that day.) Toby loved the view from his seat.

Charlotte was irritated to hear that the Queen was not going to come out and say hello to her. And after waiting for a little while we aborted early to St. James Park and spent some time at the playground instead. The crowd was just insane, and the kids were tired of being confined to the stroller, so we were all happier at the park.

Trafalger Square.

#10 Downing Street.
(Where the Prime Minister lives.)

Across the street from #10, there was a protest going on. Rob stopped to read the signs and talk with a Kurdish man about their cause for a while. It was a peaceful demonstration and there were many photographers, reporters, and police on hand. It was Rob's favorite event of the day!

Mind the Gap. ;)
(Charlotte's new favorite phrase, by the way.)

Having a chocolate biscuit in the hotel lobby while we wait for Daddy.

We really enjoyed our time in London, but it was EXHAUSTING. Overall, the kids dealt really well, but we did have our occasional meltdowns. Rob & I found ourselves talking throughout the trip about what we want to see "next time" and where our next trips will be to... so that's a good sign. :)

London Day 2

On Friday, we took a bus tour out of the city to explore some of the English countryside and legends. :)

First stop was Stonehenge. Brrrr, it was cold and breezy!

The stones are pretty phenomenal though... I can't imagine HOW they brought them here and arranged them, nevermind WHY they did it. Those wacky druids.

Next we went to Glastonbury. We were unable to climb up Glastonbury Tor because of the weather, but we walked around the Chalice Well and Gardens.

Legend has it, that Joseph of Arimethea brought the Holy Grail here and dropped it down the well??? Um, okay. Anyway, the water is tinted red-- either because of the mystical blood of Christ or some other reason. hmm... Rob & I both tasted it--- pretty strong iron taste.

It is quite striking though-- and the gardens are beautiful.
Glastonbury Abbey was the next stop. Henry VIII had it torn down when he began the Church of England, but the ruins are spectacular. Joseph of Arimethea was also a visitor here, we are told and brought the crown of thorns. The Glastonbury Thorn tree was the result-- which blooms at Easter and Christmas.

Hands on history. :)

Part of the chapel.

The kids had a rough time with being on the bus so much, but everyone survived.

Charlotte is turning into such a little "poser."

I love this one in Glastonbury. The town was a nice spot for lunch (Cornish pasties are yummy) and for shopping for all of our New Age and Wiccan needs. Or not.

The last stop of the day was in Avesbury. This tiny town is in the middle of another ancient stone circle-- like Stonehenge, but bigger, free, and where you can touch the stones.
Our guide David is giving us the overview here-- he was pretty amusing, especially when he got into an altercation with another driver on a one lane road and had left his mic on. (She called us bloody foreigners!)

It was really neat to walk around this henge with the sheep.

Rob with the stroller. Thatched barn roof up ahead of him.

The end of the stone circle and Day #2. The ride back to London was AWFUL.

There was so much traffic, we were 2 hours later than expected. Thankfully, Toby slept much of it and Charlotte made friends with 2 Hungarian tourists who played with her and fed her candy, etc. Charlotte made friends EVERYWHERE we went on this trip-- she is so outgoing. It actually reminded me a lot of traveling with my mom. :)

London Day 1

Yay!! We are home from London safe and sound-- and I LOVED it. :)

For me, London was always the place I would say when people would ask, "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?" (I don't know why, but it is surprising just how OFTEN I've found myself answering that question.)

I took about 200 pictures in 3 full days of sightseeing. lol

Here is a break down of our trip (and just a few photos)...

Charlotte and Little Polar on the Tube.

Acting (as always) at the Tower of London.

This guard was outside the Royal Treasury-- where Q. E.2 keeps her crown jewels on display--- He was so young!!! And he had to periodically march back and forth in front of his little hut. What a lousy job.

Tower of London. We saw where they found the two princes bones under the stairway. And a really cool exhibit on Henry VIII called "Dressed to kill" all about armor and weaponry. And messages etched into the walls by prisoners. And Traitors Gate. And the ravens that live at the Tower (legend has it that if they ever leave, the Tower will fall and so will England.)

London Bridge over the Thames, just beyond the Tower walls.
Happy 4th Anniversary my love!

After the Tower and some lunch at a trendy place called Leon, we took a little rest by St. Paul's cathedral.
Then we headed to the British Museum... "the largest collection of imperial pillagings anywhere" according to my dear husband. ;) Here is Rob next to the Rosetta Stone-- terrible picture, but I love it anyway.

Some of the many sculptures from the Parthenon in Greece. Greece would like to have these back. Apparently, it's an ongoing debate.

After the British Museum, we stopped by the British Library to view their "treasures." SO COOL! I loved seeing Jane Austen's journals, Handel's draft of the Messiah, a Gutenberg Bible, an original copy of the Magna Carta (they handwrote several copies), Beatles lyrics on napkins, and on and on and on. :)

AFter some Indian food on Drummond St., we headed back to the Hotel Elizabeth on Eccleston Square (Churchill once lived a few doors down.) This was the TINIEST triple room (this is Charlotte's bed in the window bay)-- but very comfy and covenient, and had 12 foot ceilings.

Also, we loved that the hotel had access to a private garden across the street where we liked to sit in the evening and let the kids run and play on the playground. :)

as promised