Yay for VISITORS!

Us with Uncle Brian in front of the Windsor Castle

We have been happily entertaining visitors for the past couple of weekends with hopes of becoming local experts someday (and with hopes of many more visitors in the future! Come visit!!).

My brother, Brian had a work engagement in Liverpool and Dublin and was able to fly in and out of Heathrow so that he could tack on an evening and overnight at the beginning of his trip and a couple of nights at the end of his trip to stay with us. He insisted that whatever we plan for his full day with us be something that was on our bucket list. So after much contemplation (and discussion with Spencer who had to work half of the day that Brian was with us), I decided that the highest item on my bucket list was to start exploring The Great Park. The Great Park is a nearly 5000 acre preserved/natural area just south of Windsor that is accessible by foot, bike, or car (but not by public transportation), depending on the time you have to spend at getting there. It has some of the oldest forests and other ecosystems in the world as it has been preserved by the royal family for centuries as hunting grounds. Luckily for me, Spencer and I just finalized our purchases of 2 mountain bikes and a baby bike seat the week before Brian's stay. So Brian, Spencer and I geared up the bikes (attaching a front-mounted baby seat is not as easy as it may seem; and changing a flat tire with no tools is also difficult - it turns out they charge a lot - nearly $30!! - for a tube and change here) and headed out for a few hour adventure!

Emmett loved playing on the rocks, hills and tunnels with Uh-Bah

It was refreshing and invigorating to finally be out on my bike! Though it was also exhausting to ride uphill, with 27+ extra pounds on my handle bars, with my knees unable to rotate forward in a natural position, and with my back break rubbing on the wheel the entire time... Luckily Brian was patient with me. (And Spencer and I bought a few bike tools to fix some of these problems on future rides.) Emmett did great in the bike seat for the ride TO the Great Park, but after experiencing the freedom of the drenched park that we let him play in once arriving to the grounds, he didn't much like the idea of getting back in the seat for the ride home.

Emmett's bike-sleeping position

Once we coaxed him in (this was a dreadfully loud process that involved bribing him with snacks), he fell asleep! So he was tired! But unfortunately for me, his asleep-position didn't allow me to turn my bike to the left very comfortably. And to think I assumed I'd have an easier downhill ride home. Needless to say, I was exhausted but gleaming for the rest of the day. I love biking.

Brian and Spencer spent a few hours that afternoon touring the Windsor castle toddler-free (I have been to the castle 4 or 5 times and have yet to listen to the audio tour...) while Emmett and I napped. And we all met up again that afternoon for some more family play time. Emmett adored having his "Uh-Bah" here and would only let Brian help him with most of his daily tasks. Luckily, Brian was game for everything from bath time to changing diapers to reading books to singing songs and dancing. Thanks, Uncle Brian!


Our somewhat-overlapping other visitors were also in the region for business. Emmett's Nana and Bapa (Spencer's parents) stayed in Windsor and spent three full days with us this past week - Sunday, Monday and Tuesday! Spencer was able to take off Monday, so we spent Sunday in London seeing the Natural History and Science Museums, Tuesday in Oxford, exploring the Kathol's old stomping grounds (Spencer's family spent a summer sabbatical in Oxford when Spencer was in middle school), and Wednesday in Windsor, showing off our home town.

The Kathols at the Natural History Museum

Our trip into London was smooth, with Emmett still enjoying train rides. We got off the trains right around lunch time and it was a bit chilly outside, so decided to eat our sandwiches once we got into the museum (though we fed Emmett his lunch while we walked there). We went to the Natural History Museum first since Emmett would be napping pretty soon after he ate and that would allow us to walk through whatever exhibits we wanted without worrying about his attention span. We ended up spending most of our time in the "Creepy Crawlies" exhibit, which I loved, but which made me miss teaching science. The Natural History Museum in London is HUGE!

We saw a few other exhibits but didn't even come close to seeing a third of the museum. Which just means that we'll have to take advantage of it being free and of Emmett's future naps in his stroller to see more of the exhibits. Once Emmett awoke we brought him next door to the Science Museum. They have an entire basement exhibit dedicated to kids under 6. Emmett loved playing in the water, stacking and moving blocks, but mostly, he loved the Bubble Show. The Bubble Show was a 20 minute show in which we got to experience bubbles of all shapes and sizes and air densities (they filled some bubbles with helium and some with carbon dioxide!!). That was the longest I've ever known Emmett to pay attention to ANYthing. I was impressed, and so was he. We ended the day with a walk next to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the River Thames. We headed toward some street food stands for dinner before taking a long train ride home.

Exploring Oxford (in the rain)

The train ride to Oxford on Monday was much shorter than the ride into London due to fewer stops in between Windsor and Oxford. We had plans to rent bikes and tour around the city but, due to inclement weather forecasts, we decided to do a double-decker bus tour instead. What a great change of plans since it ended up raining most of the afternoon that we were there. The tour was nice, too, because it offered audio explanations of the important buildings and history of the area (which would have been nice to be able to listen to 100%... but meh - you take what you can get with a toddler). The best part, though, was hearing stories of Spencer, Mary and Roger remembering what their lives were like the summer that they lived there. We even got to see the street that they lived on (though we didn't get off the bus to explore further due to the rain). Oxford is beautiful! I can see why so much British TV is set there. :) I enjoyed seeing what we could from the top of a bus, but I also enjoyed walking around a bit.

Oxford from above

We went into a few of the buildings; perhaps the most impressive to me was the Bodlean Library, which is one of the only Copyright libraries in the world, meaning that every book ever copyrighted in the entire world is available in the stacks somewhere in the 3 stories above ground or the 11 stories under the building. We couldn't actually go into the library (no children under 12 are allowed on the guided tours). In fact, you can't just walk in and find a book there easily. You have to give the librarians a minimum of several hours to find a requested title, and then you cannot take the book out of the library - you can only read it while still in the building.  :) But the whole idea of it, and the building itself, are impressive.

Nana & Emmett tried calling his cousins in CO

The next morning, since Spencer and Roger both had to work, Mary, Emmett and I walked around Windsor. We walked to the castle along the Long Walk, we saw the guards marching toward the castle, the band playing joyfully, on their way to do the changing of the guards, we visited and fed the swans, we walked through Alexandra park along the Thames River, and finally, we headed back down the pedestrian street to get our lunch at home. Spencer and Roger met us for lunch and had some fish & chips. Then Spencer went back to work, Emmett took his nap, and Roger and Mary headed to the castle for a tour. After nap time, everyone met at the nearby park and playground where Emmett showed off his climbing and sliding abilities, then we had some Moroccan food for dinner. Overall, it was a relaxing and beautiful day with the weather cooperating and the company a pleasure. We would be happy to host Nana and Bapa if they're able to swing this way again. :)


The near future holds the Queen's 90th birthday celebration next week, our trip to Switzerland the following weekend, a visit from our Madison friends Stephanie and Adam (who live in the Netherlands, too, but who weren't in town over Easter) at the beginning of May - which means more exploring of England, this time by rental car - and on May 10 will be Emmett's second birthday. Whew - we have lots to look forward to! So in the meantime, keep in touch and start planning your visit because our time here in England seems to be flying by!

Our trip to the Netherlands!

The rest of the month of March flew by for us. The highlight was our trip to visit our friends, the Landers, in the Netherlands. They have been expats there for just over a year and were very knowledgeable hosts and guides. We stayed with them in their home in Den Bosch (south of Amsterdam - about an hour on the train) over our 4-day Easter weekend.

We spent our first day in the Netherlands touring Den Bosch, with strollers and umbrellas. Along the walking tour we saw the incredibly intricate cathedral which is home to the most impressive piece of stained glass work that I can remember seeing (I didn't take many photos along the tour because of the rain, but there are a few of the cathedral).
Overall, we were impressed by the cleanliness of the city, the care given to the streets and old buildings, and by the bike infrastructure (of course!). Emmett especially loved the canals - he looked for geese and swans every time he spotted water. Turns out swans aren't as prevalent in the canal system as they are on the Thames River in Windsor. :) We also enjoyed our afternoon walk to a beautiful park that had a not-quite-a-petting zoo (since you weren't supposed to actually pet the animals), and random play structures (different structures for all ages and abilities) throughout as you walk around a lake.

Day two was our day in Amsterdam. We spent a longer time than expected on the train getting to the city, but then a lovely, sunny afternoon at the Amsterdam Zoo. Upon entering the zoo, the first animals one sees are not actually in "enclosures" as we are used to; instead, they are on little islands surrounded by moats so that nobody gets in or out of the respective areas. Some of the animals were not even surrounded by water - they were just out in the open, hanging with the people. And then some of the animals were in cages and walls, as one would expect them to be. Emmett enjoyed the play structures - especially the giraffe slide right next to the noisy chimpanzees. I enjoyed watching the pelicans feed on the fish that were dumped into their pond (I know - pelicans were a highlight?). We finished at the zoo and wandered over to the best Mexican restaurant in the city (out of only 2 or 3 - but this is the one the Mexican ambassador goes to when in town). We all thoroughly enjoyed our tacos, as good Mexican food is something we cannot get in Windsor or in Den Bosch. The train ride home had fewer delays and the boys excitedly went to bed awaiting a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Emmett got some cool treasures from the Easter Bunny

The next morning, Easter Sunday, the boys hunted for their baskets and eggs while Laura and Jim prepared a delicious Sunday brunch. After brunch, we went to the local park to play, where Emmett played happily in and around the sand with Jack and Quincy until he decided to eat some of it. We decided at that point to take him home and rinse out his mouth, then put him down for his nap. After the nap, we loaded up 4 bikes and headed out for a ride. This was the highlight of the trip for me! I decided during that ride that I would purchase a used bike while in Windsor, just to be able to explore the outskirts of Windsor a bit further and faster than I can otherwise. We biked all afternoon, exploring more of Den Bosch, with me singing "Row, row, row your boat," over and over to keep Emmett happy so that the bike ride could continue.

Our last day in the Netherlands was spent in a city called Utrecht, halfway between Den Bosch and Amsterdam. We walked from the train station, through the lovely town center, to a train museum. The building itself was the town's original train station, now converted into a very entertaining display of old trains and rides and theatrics offering a glimpse into the lives of train workers and riders. I enjoyed peering into a royal car - imagining what it must be like to be royalty and have special trains built and decorated for me. I guess that isn't something I've considered much coming from a place where royal families just aren't a part of my reality.

The following morning we got up early and headed by train then airplane then taxi back to Windsor. Our long weekend came to a close, but it was so refreshing and energizing to be with good friends and not worrying about work or schedules, so we came home feeling great. Thank you to Jim and Laura and Jack and Quincy - for your hospitality and for making us all (especially Emmett) feel welcomed, loved, and comfortable in your home.

I will write another post soon, with updates and news about our visits from Brian and Nana and Bapa (Spencer's parents). But for now, enjoy the photos and remember to keep in touch!