The Family Tree

August 18th, 2016

On July 21st, we touched down in the land of Mien Mann’s ancestors. If you read the last post, you know that our travels had a rocky start. Thankfully, there were still lots of good moments that tipped the scales to fond memories. With a little help from Rick Steves and our own family tour guide (Popo), we ventured around the English countryside and into London for three full days of site-seeing. Here’s a recap!

Day 1…Essex County

We flew into Stansted Airport on the outskirts of London. The location worked well since it was in the vicinity of the area we were touring on our first day. I practice my celebrity wave as we disembarked onto British soil!

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Driving on the left side of the road definitely challenged the way our brains are wired!

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Several times, we drove through tree tunnels formed by the overhanging canopy of trees. Loved it! Also enjoyed this red phone booth that was being used as a mini-library.

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We visited the farm-house where Popo’s grandfather was born. The present owner was kind enough to give us a tour, complete with a farm kitty that our oldest instantly fell in love with!

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Popo contacted him ahead of time so we didn’t completely show up unannounced. However, I was still amazed at the kindness of a stranger to welcome us in and chat for a while. The house was over 500 years old!!!  The rustic beauty of the surrounding buildings and grounds added to the charm.

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After saying our goodbyes, we ventured on to the village of Thaxted. Upon arrival, we toured the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist where many of Popo’s ancestors attended. It had a little children’s corner that kept the boys occupied while we walked around. In the floor, were several tombstones. One of them caught my eye. It was for a woman named Anne who died in 1782. Written upon her tombstone were these words…”Her days were few but her end was lamented. For in her, the Needy found a constant friend.” I would have liked to meet Anne.

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We ate our first Fish and Chips at an English pub across the street from the church. De…licious!! Afterwards, we took a little stroll along a path that led us to a windmill built in 1804 with beautiful views of open fields. The thatched roofs and colorful houses added to the beauty of the countryside!

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We then drove to the Baptist church where the names of family ancestors were etched in the cornerstones. We also stopped at a lovely home named “Midsummer Hill” where Popo’s grandfather lived just before moving to America. Doesn’t the name invite you in? I noticed many homes with names in England. We should name our home!

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We eventually made our way to our rented flat in Epping…our home away from home thanks to Airbnb. We made a food run to the grocery store around the corner, ate dinner and talked over site-seeing plans for our next two days in London. We used our pizza box as a giant pad of paper to brainstorm with. Afterwards, Mien Mann and I took the boys out to let them run around a bit. They needed to burn off some energy! Notice E in mid-flight in the picture of Momo looking over our London itinerary! So…much…energy!

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Day 2 and 3…LONDON!

“Look Kids! Big Ben, Parliament!”

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Being in London reminded us of this often quoted scene from American Lapoon’s European Vacation (circa 1985)…

Thankfully, this was not our experience! We took the train, rode on double-decker buses and put more mileage on our feet and Momo’s healing knee. She was such a trooper! Our second day riding into London on the Underground, S quietly serenaded our train car as he sweetly sang the words to the song, I Stand in Awe of You. I sing to the boys at night and I’m always amazed how quickly they pick up songs. It was precious!

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We toured Westminster Abbey on Saturday via audio tour. What a historically rich place! Alongside hosting weddings of royals (such as Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 and Prince William in 2011), there are also endless tombstones of famous individuals like Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Listening to the audio tour while doing the kid’s scavenger hunt kept the boys (and their parents!) busy for a while as we searched for answers to various clues.

But even in the best places, we reach our limits. In a crowded alcove, I looked down at our youngest and realized his view had been diminished to the backsides of the people he was being shuffled about with. It was around this time that he was done. I couldn’t blame him! I think we all were. We returned on Sunday evening to take in one of the free, organ concerts I learned about via Rick Steves. Thanks Rick! The music was beautiful, the setting was amazing and the length (thirty minutes) was just right. Since picture-taking inside the Abbey is prohibited, we captured a few memories from the outsides.

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In the afternoon, we ventured to The Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens. Interestingly, it was Prince George’s third Birthday that day. I imagine he has enjoyed this wonderful playground built in the memory of his grandmother who loved the innocence of childhood.

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Inspired by the stories of Peter Pan, this wonderland encourages both the imagination and playfulness in every child. Our boys LOVED it! An awesome, pirate ship took center stage surrounded by “jungles”, a water area, tepees and more. I was glad I dressed the boys in yellow that day. It helped us spot them in the crowd!

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On Sunday, we toured the British Museum. (Photo courtesy of Popo!)

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I’m amazed this treasure chest of artifacts is FREE to the public! We checked out an Activity Backpack containing several activities to help engage kids in different areas of the museum. Our “African Adventure” taught us about ancient warriors, head dresses, knives and pottery.

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Amongst its many treasured artifacts, the Rosetta Stone has been on exhibit at the British Museum since 1802 (with only one break). This famous stone has writing on it in two languages using three scripts. It was the key to understanding the Egyptian hieroglyphic script. It records a decree made on the 27th of March, 196 BC. What a privilege it was to see it with our own eyes…sandwiched within a crowd of folks, of course! Crazy, right?!

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We could have spent days exploring the museum but enjoyed the taste we got within a couple of hours!

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Momo and Popo recommended the Museum Tavern for lunch. More Fish-n-Chips (and hotdogs for our oldest)!

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That afternoon, we navigated our way to Coram’s Fields in Bloomsbury. As adults, the boys were our “ticket” in. They quickly mastered the zip line and could have stayed much longer in this kid’s haven!

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What an opportunity to make new memories with Momo and Popo!! We are thankful they suggested it!

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Spending the weekend amongst the British also reminded us of this clip from the movie, Planes

“I don’t cry, I’m British!” (S and his Daddy doing their own impersonation!)

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Cheerio!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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