Berlin Blitz!

Scott's sister's husband Steve Byrum and his son had dreamed of visiting Normandy since grade school.  But with the tough times back in the US it didn't look like it was going to happen while we were over here... but then things just fell in place and he was able to set aside 2 weeks to visit us.  With such a short time we crammed his schedule full of fun trips.

Lower School Sports Day

So after Steve arrived on Thursday (after several delays) we drove home to Christina's sports day.  Jeanne always loves watching Christina run... and she is pretty fast!






This year she won her year group on the flat race.  Congratulations Christina!








Friday on our way to Gatwick airport (south of London) we attempted to drive by Stonehenge.  Scott, Bryce and Madison rode a train down and were going to meet up with us later... and then IT happened.

The WORST bad luck day ever here in the UK

Disaster #1:   What was to be a 5 hour journey ended up being 11.  Traffic on the circle around London was at a standstill.  No places to pull over for toilets for the kids.  ugh.  We gave up on Stonehenge and thought to eat dinner at Windsor until the traffic settled down.

Disaster #2:  Somehow we were 10 p short (unbeknownst to us) when we put the coins into the machine for our timed parking.  Jeanne thought she had the right change but a few coins dropped when the kids were feeding the machine.  We thought we had picked them all up and bought two hours of parking but with 10 p short the machine only gave us one hour not the two we expected (Jeanne should have double-checked the paper!).  That should have been enough... BUT...

Disaster #3:  The pub that we chose to eat at was virtually empty.  We knew we could eat fairly quickly.  So we placed our order with the waiter and waited... and waited... and waited... Finally over an hour later, we asked.  And we found out that the waiter had got off work and never placed our order to the cook.  UGH!  So they rushed the food but Christina and Ethan were hungry and fidgety.  But on the plus side... we did get a free meal.  We were feeling okay about the whole exchange until...

Disaster #4:  Jeanne's van was clamped!  For those of you in tranquil Illinois where the parking spaces are wide and plentiful... and FREE- you may not know what they are.  But here in the UK they can clamp your car to make you pay your parking tickets.

(Minor) Disaster #5:  No one answered the phone when I called to get my car unclamped!  We had to get to Gatwick THAT night as our flight left very early in the morning!  But eventually, the over-aggressive ticket writers returned.  There was no mercy given and we had to fork over 120 gbp!

Traffic was much better and we were feeling like although we had quite a bit of bad luck that we were fortunate to be moving... at least we would make our flight... But then...

Disaster #6:  Traffic.  AGAIN!  This time it truly was standstill.  Jeanne could tell that it was an accident but was hoping to be able to get off at the next exit... an hour later we had traveled the 2 miles to the next exit.  UGH.  Steve fingernails were embedded in the armrests from the stress of this trip and we hadn't gone anywhere!

Finally, we got a break with our bad luck and when we got off Jeanne's sat nav directed us down one lane, tree over grown, winding road.  Backwards and forwards and Jeanne was totally confused which direction we were going, but TOM TOM took us around the exit and onto a completely barren highway.  So the other cars that didn't take the exit were routed off that highway onto another route.  Jeanne figures that we saved another hour or two by exiting.  Hurrah!  We arrived near midnight for a 4 hour sleep.  ugh.  But at least we got there!

Berlin

We arrived at 9 am and hit the ground running.

Jeanne carried all of the luggage (3 backpacks and a rolling suitcase) to the hotel while everyone else continued on the train from the Berlin airport to downtown Berlin.

 Checkpoint Charlie was the first stop.  The museum had grown substantially since the last time we were there in late 1996.  So much information!

The museum documented the history of Berlin and the divided city.  It also had numerous examples of the amazing and ingenious ways in which people attempted to escape East Berlin.





Next we went to the Pergammon museum which is an amazing collection of WORLD treasures that the Germans took or "bought".

The Altar from Pergammon, Turkey... the entire thing!

Above: the Ishtar Gate of King Nebucanezzar the second



An intricately painted and cared wooden room from Iraq... interestingly it was from a Christian family as the words and scenes depict Jesus and New Testament verses.



After the museum we were stopped by the smells... you can't go to Germany and not try Bratwurst!  So we did.



We walked along what used to be the Berlin wall that separated East from West.  So much had changed...

Here is where the Nazis interrogated prisoners... UNDER the wall!

 Modern Berlin has not forgotten the post-war divisions even though much has changed after it's unification.  But the city planners wisely wanted all Germans to remember... so they placed bricks or metal beams  where the walls once stood.  So walking along the city streets the mark still stands... even if a new building was built over it!

We came upon an interesting memorial to the holocaust ... a sea of raised cement rectangles.

When you approach it from the side you can't quite grasp the meaning... but as you walk in the ground undulates lower and lower til the cement rectangles tower over your head.

The kids enjoyed running down the rows playing hide and seek or tag...  It was so unusual!

As we approached the Brandenburg Gate we could tell that the people who were walking towards us were NOT the average crowd.  Men in drag changed to men in tights and wings.  It got scarier as we continued...




Finally, Steve, Jeanne and all the kids had enough and tightly holding on to the kids hands we tried to escape to the nearest train- Scott and Bryce still had energy to continue exploring WW2 sights further away.  But our escape back to the hotel wasn't a good plan... unfortunately the train car we chose seemed to fill up with the drunk and celebrating couples from above ground that we were trying to escape!  Men in makeup and glitter and tights all squished on a subway train.  Ugh.

Jeanne grabbed the lone post between seats at the end of a carriage and tried to slip the kids in before they were crushed.  It was a good thing too.  Steve and Madison weren't able to get in but at least Ethan and Christina were safe from the crushing crowds.  Several drunk people yelled at Jeanne to scoot in but for the safety of the children, she refused.  Finally, that part of the journey was over.  They got off and we could breathe.

Steve and Ethan were so totally exhausted.  Jet lag and a long day walking.  But Ethan was quite a trooper.  We walked to our hotel which was close to the station and were quite pleased with the spacious clean rooms.  Yea!

London

Another early morning flight back to the UK- but it wasn't too bad.  A quick taxi and we were there.  Jeanne had her van and we drove THROUGH London to drop off Scott, Christina, Steve and Ethan to see the Rosetta stone in the British Museum and then other big sights in London.  Then Jeanne drove home and eventually they rode a train back to Peterborough and Scott's car.  It worked out perfectly.

Highlights of the UK

The rest of the time spent with Steve and Ethan was visiting the local sights (Lincoln, Tattershall, Boston & Burghley House).  The pulpit above was the same one that John Cotton preached from!  Such close ties to our pilgrim forefathers!

Normandy

Scott also took a long weekend off for another trip to Normandy.  It was a really fun being able to share our experience with the Byrum's and watch Steve's amazement and enthusiasm for the different cultures... (well maybe not the French toilets....)  Still it was a joy to share such meaningful times with them.

Good Memories!

Loving a Lotus

Bryce had to be monitored the day after his surgery, so he had to come along with Madison on her get together with her dear friend Amy.

The girls were able to play for the day while Bryce relaxed in front of a MASSIVE TV.  (rough life, huh?)


Later in the afternoon he needed to find a suit for prom.  The shopping trip was successful and upon return Bryce had a treat in store...




Amy's dad came home from work and took Bryce for a ride in his LOTUS!

Bryce thought the day couldn't get any better... that is until he got to go 130 mph!

WOW!

The Saga of Bryce's Broken Nose

May 22- June 2, 2010




Up until this point Bryce has just nearly sliced off his finger

and broken another finger...






We've never had to deal with something other than an injury to his hands.  And for those injuries, the NHS was very fast and efficient...

But for this injury, it was something else.


He had to wait until Friday for his appointment with the ENT doctor (a week after the accident). We had been told that he would then have his nose set. But that Friday was also the last official day of school for Bryce (excluding tests) and the entire year group was celebrating by going paint balling all day. And nose or no nose- Bryce wasn't going to miss that event!

But we were able to secure a late doctor's appointment, got him drugged up with Tylenol with Codine (they sell it over the counter here in the UK) and he bravely walked in to the hospital. The funny thing was he was still covered in yellow and red greasy paint from the day long adventure!

Much to Bryce's disappointnent, we found out that this was just an initial consultation... Ugh. Bryce was tired of his crooked nose and he really wanted it straightened. He was told that he would have to wait a week or two more for the actual surgery date. They were going to put him under to straighten it. But he had a problem in tha this GCSE exams were scheduled to start in just over one week.

Luckily, they had an empty slot available the following Wednesday during his week long study break. Hoorah!


Finally, Wednesday came! We arrived for the 8:00 am scheduled time but had to wait 2.5 hours.

 

Bryce's nose can make a backwards "S"!








There was another boy before Bryce that had a broken nose also. When the doctor came out from surgery she had disappointing news for the first nose patient. She said to the mother "perhaps he was born with a slightly crooked nose".

Jeanne was quite scared at that point.

Then the doctor came over to Jeanne. And fortunately, the doctor had a much better report. She said that she was quite pleased since they got a LOT of movement. She thought it was nearly perfect.

That was the good news.

The bad news ended up being that they failed to give pain killers to Bryce in his IV before he came out. when he woke up and asked for some, they told him he had to wait 5 minutes. They then gave him oral tablets of paracetamol (Tylenol) which then takes 20 minutes to take effect. He was trying to be brave but he was in significant pain. They then graduated up to ibruprofen and ironically, before he was discharged 2 hours later (and pain free) he was offered Codine.

Pain management appears not to be a strong point in the NHS system.

But at least Bryce now has a STRAIGHT nose!

And we all WALK up the stairs now...

Birthday party / hospital visit

May 22-23, 2010

Party #1  Kirkstone House School Friends

Bryce has always had the knack of picking good friends.  And it has been no exception here in the U.K. as proven this past weekend.

We began our 24 hour party at 11 am with a sunny warm day!  Hoorah!






Bryce wanted a water balloon battle and he got a massive one!

They had so much fun!

Christina and the waterfight

The boys were even willing to include Madison and Christina... though Christina thought she could participate without getting wet which led to her running and crying to Mom and Dad.  We tried to explain and encourage her- so she set out again.  After one more crying session where she got a waterballoon on the top of her head she decided that she needed her swimsuit on.  What a difference!  But by that time the boys were all afraid of making her cry... so what happened?  She cried again sobbing to Mom that "no one will get me!"

Thankfully one of the boys walking by heard the conversation and agreed to squirt Christina.  So she followed him out skipping.  Kids can be so funny sometimes!

Go Karting

 We took a group of 10 15/16 year olds up to Ancaster.  The weather was the best that we've seen.  Perfect for go karting outdoors!  (which is amazing for the U.K.)

Relaxing time and Bar-B-Que

Well, that was the intent... but not exactly what happened.








The kids were all geared up to "chillin' and relaxing" together after their exciting racing experience.  They had the run of the house and were enjoying it all.

But shortly after arriving home Bryce actually slipped going UP the stairs.  Unfortunately his arms were in a position that couldn't stop his fall on the hard oak stairs.








The result- a broken nose.









Bryce was in a lot of pain and so Scott drove him to the A&E in Peterborough.  However, their delay was 4 hours so he went to a convenient care instead.  But true to British standards, they couldn't help him and they wanted to send him back to the hospital.  And even so no one was going to set his nose that day.  Their procedures call for a mandatory week wait to be seen by an ear-nose-throat doctor (more on that later).

Bottom line is that Bryce missed two hours of his own birthday party for no result.



But meanwhile Bryce's friends came together to assist in cooking their own bar-b-que

and creatively made a massive "Welcome Back" to your party sign.  When the birthday boy finally returned everyone was very happy and Bryce was cheered up by the very friendly welcome.

Next came a brownie birthday "cake".





It definitely was an exciting party!


Slumber Party

Well, compared to earlier in the evening- the slumber party with 7 guys was a breeze!  They had a lot of fun.



Party #2  Bourne Baptist Church Friends

Bryce's youth group came over for ANOTHER Bar-B-Que.  They were a significantly smaller group but so polite and nice!  They were able to repeat the water balloon fight and trampoline fun.

Thus ended the two day birthday party marathon.

Everythings better with Cheddar!

May 15-16, 2010

We had TWO birthdays to celebrate over this weekend!

Bryce turned 15 on Saturday and Sarah Rodman, a fellow ISE wife from Peoria and good friend of ours turned (something) on Sunday!  So since our families get along so well we had been trying to do some trip together while we were both here in the UK.  But up until now it just wasn't meant to be.

Actually, we HAD even bought plane tickets to go to Iceland on April 16-19 but the airline cancelled our outbound flight.  Funny thing was that the infamous volcano actually ended up erupting on the day that we would have been touring around the volcano... but we weren't there!

So trip after trip slipped away.

We then decided to plan a birthday weekend to a place we all had been wanting to visit... CHEDDAR!


It was a long drive past Bristol for a Friday night but we checked in on Friday night after the guys got back from work.

Cheddar Caves

We rode the open topped bus up Cheddar gorge






And then the famous CHEDDAR Cave!  But it wasn't just full of cheese... it had prehistoric bones and a beautiful waterfall cave at the end.  

The person who excavated the cave worked was a retired sea captain by the name of Richard Gough.  He worked 8 long years digging and hauling sediment to reveal the amazing caves.  And when it was opened the newly married J.R.R Tolkien came on his honeymoon to visit.  It is thought that he used Cheddar caves as his inspiration for Helm's Deep (Lord of the Rings).

So exciting!

After lunch the boys and Madison broke off for their spelunking adventure while the remaining girls went through Cox's cave and climbed the Cheddar Gorge ridge.

When the cavers came out they were muddy and smiling from their underground adventure.  They all had a gleam in their eyes when they described their crawling through tight places and balancing on a narrow edge of an underground cliff.  YIKES!

Not a bad adventure for Bryce's 16th birthday!

Glastonbury

We ended the day with a relaxing walk through the Chalice well where legend has the holy grail placed in the well.





It seemed that several people actually believed it by the somber reverent atmosphere.  Hmmm.

We did enjoy the manicured gardens within view of the Glaston- bury Tor.

Fun Day!

Laycock Abbey

It was a rainy day.  But when we arrived at Laycock we actually got a break in the weather.  Hooray!  The entrance housed a museum dedicated to the discoveries of Fox Talbot who discovered the positive and negative photographic processes back in the 1830's.  Thank you Mr. Talbot! 

Actually, the first negative photograph was taken of a stained glass window of the Abbey.  It was so cool to see WHERE this historic event took place.







We then walked over to the converted abbey.  Actually, the abbey was truly fascinating!  Of course Several scenes from Harry Potter were filmed here and we thoroughly enjoyed documenting our visit there with our own photographs!

This large cauldron reminded us of Shake- speare's Macbeth with the witches and their "boil, boil, toil and trouble!"

Outside the Abbey house they had an curious shed on wheels.  We entered and shut the door and peered through a small peephole.  Nothing out of the ordinary...  Confused we stepped back and discovered that the shed was a replica of a camera, the peephole- the camera lens, and the back wall was the inverted image.  We were standing INSIDE a "camera"!  So Cool!

TGI FRIDAYS

We couldn't celebrate TWO birthdays without finding a TGI to celebrate it at!  It is such a good restaurant for celebrations!  We actually had an American waiter who made the afternoon extra fun.




Bryce loves his double burger (the size of his head!)... and yes!  He ate it all!

Gloucester Cathedral

We arrived with just enough time to see the Cathedral.  And it was an amazing Cathedral!  It was yet another site of filming for Harry Potter.

And the detailed archways of the cloisters made for a mesmerizing photograph!

Outside- oblivious to the time- we had the kids make a fun pyramid.  We had so much fun with the Rodman family!

On our way out we were surprised by an American Flag!  We then read that John Stafford Smith (a choirboy at the Cathedral) wrote the tune that later became the Star Spangled Banner.  So interesting!





It truly was an amazing FUN weekend!

Happy Birthday Bryce and Sarah!