Blog 11 - Mean Time

Blog 11 - Mean Time

Cheers all,

Actually, I never say cheers as a greeting...ever. In fact the only person I know who uses cheers as a sign off ironically hasn't had a drink in 10 years (happy 10 year anniversary, you know who you are!!). But it seems appropriate once you are in Britain to do as the British do.

We are currently in Greenwich, home of GMT. Great symbolic spot to celebrate the New Year...well, sit and drink mulled wine, mulled cider, stay warm and watch the pretty impressive London fireworks on the TV, which were being heavily rained upon.

So anyway, we arrived in the UK about a month ago and drank in the English signs, English shops and English speakers. Kids were noticeably relieved. The weather was significantly colder though, and something we are still reconciling ourselves with is the fact that it is dark at 4.00pm. It's just odd!

Our first stay was East London in a suburb called Hackney. It was a quirky, cool neighbourhood that you could just tell had a slightly soiled underbelly and was really trying to improve itself. Lots of coffee shops, lots of cool take away and a killer Saturday market where I counted 15 different cuisines on offer!!

The house we stayed at (through airBNB) was owned by an artist, had quirky little touches all over the place (light shade made of tea bags, table hanging upside down from the ceiling) - it was only half way through our stay that we learnt she was in Ireland winning the most significant art prize in the UK, the Turner prize!

From Hackney it was an easy commute in to the centre we did a heap of the "things you should do if going to London" - Trafalgar Square, London Eye, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge etc. We shopped (and hyperventilated at the prices) down Regent Street, and discovered "Hamleys", the funnest toy shop in all of funville. It was honestly like Wonkaland, I half expect Oompa Loompas to roll Violet Beauregarde out. Kids loved it and Santa was clearly watching...

Had a great afternoon ice skating at Somerset House. Visited platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station

(I don't really need to say what these are do I????)

(Skating at Somerset House)

Can I just say right now, I love the Tube. I love everything about it. The design, the colours, the general efficiency, the ticketing system. It's so funny to hear the kids working out the route "if we catch the Bakerloo line to Charing Cross, we can change and get the central line..." The British transport system (and Singapore, and Berlin, Athens, Dubai...in fact everyhere!) PUT MELBOURNE'S TO SHAME.

Okay moving on...we moved on! So we stayed in Walthamstow, Hornsey (both airBNB, both really nice) and Harlesden (thanks to our friend Tina's brother and his family, who was away for a week). We had a Christmas tree to stick presents under, a great kitchen where Renae cooked a massive Christmas dinner, and a cat to pat, which the kids loved. We skyped with family on their Christmas morning/our Christmas Eve - that was wierd. And we played monopoly where the seven year old killed us. So it was an unusually quiet Christmas, but it was nice.

We visited the Natural History Museum and Renae caught up with a friend from high school days!

(Natural History Museum)

A highlight of the trip (and this will polarise people) was the trip to the studios where they filmed the Harry Potter films. It is exceptionally well done, not overly expensive (I've paid more for crappier on this trip!) and there was just something quite exciting about looking at the real sets, the real props ("oh wow, that's the goblet of fire, that's the pensieve etc). You also got a great insight into the processes such as set design, make up, animatronics, special FX (we got to ride a broomstick on blue screen!). We all loved it but I'm moving on as I'm sounding way too nerdy.

(Costumes in Great Hall, Gryffindor common room, Diagonal Alley, model of Hogwarts)

Biggest let down of the trip was discovering that, after a lot of time, effort, scanning and emailing, training courses, and money, that I received some poor advice from my immigration consultant in Australia, and I was unable to apply for a working visa. Well not without telling the people who offered me a job and were prepared to sponsor me to hang tight while I zipped back to Oz, completed the 35 page application, sent it to Malaysia (no I don't know why either), and get a possible No in 5 weeks time.

The night we found out, we got drunk! (Well, not the kids, they were driving...) But in a way, it is what it is now. Time to commence that difficult second novel!

So the second definition of my blog title other than the GMT reference is to accept that we may need to be a bit stingy/clever/INNOVATIVE (ah, there's the glass half full) to get us to the Orlando theme parks without robbing banks along the way!

So Happy New Year to everyone from me and the other CVDBs. Coming up next episode, Scotland, northern lights, grandparents...

I'm leaving you with observations and other general miscellany from the first half of the trip. Be amazed...or be indifferent, up to you!!!

SO...

• We have been to 15 countries - 17 if you count transit stops in Thailand and Malaysia
• The money saved on accommodation with a sofa bed is outweighed by the money spent on chiropractic bills
• Our motto - Be Fearless. It's what made Renae and I jump into near freezing water in Slovenia, made Jessie go on a water slide with a near vertical drop. It's even what made Billie walk up to a shop counter with a handful of foreign coins to buy a drink
• Harry Potter feels like my adopted third child

(In response to the comment "This hotel has 3 bars and good reception")

1. (Old traveller) - "Great. Let's check in at reception and grab a drink at one of them"
2. (New traveller) - "Wow that's good wifi coverage!"

• Lake Bled could be the most beautiful place in the world
• Italy is a beautiful, historic country, but seriously needs to get its shit together in some aspects

(Response to receiving bad service at a restaurant:)

1. (Old traveller) - "Get me the manager!"
2. (New traveller) - "Log me into Trip Advisor!"

• We have seen 27 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• The Czech and Polish languages could do with some vowels
• From Zadar to Zagreb, Croatia had me at "Dobre Dan"

(Common quotes of the journey:)

1. "Where's my hairbrush?"
2. "That's the second-biggest (insert big thing) I've ever seen" (thanks Get Smart)
3. "Expelliarmus!"
4. "Souvenirs, novelties...party tricks" (thanks Top Secret)

• Singapore - it just works! Go there
• Horrible Histories should be a mandatory text/media in every school curriculum
• The day in San Marcello meeting Emilio and Dolfiero and finding where my grandfather as shot down will remain one of the highlights of my life
• "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans" - Beautiful Boy, John Lennon. Just cos

(In Florence)

1. (Old traveller) - does the guided tour of the Uffizi
2. (New traveller) - does the virtual tour on the app, in the hostel toilet

• Every year I have a resolution to read my age in books - never achieved. Week 24 in, 25 books read! On track
• If you want to get a sense of what post-apocalypse looks and feels like, then Dubai at midday during Ramadan is for you
• My vestibular system doesn't like water parks, my nether regions don't like running in the UK in December
• And I guess last but in no means least, I love and am so proud of my kids. They have had and seen the best of times and the worst of times, from Auschwitz to Wild Wadi Water Park. I've overheard their casual conversations "Was that in Croatia where we saw the bullet shells next to the bunkers?" "No, it was Mostar" - what 7 and 10 year olds have that sort of conversation? They have been in each others faces 24/7, and the fact that one hasn't killed the other is a credit to them. What a ride, and what a story to tell their children...or their psychiatrist. Whatever comes first.

 

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