First off, apologies for the lack of posting in so long. It's been a somewhat crazy week, and I'm planning on putting a couple of separate posts on here today to catch up.
I hope everyone enjoyed Independence Day in the States. Here, it was... interesting, to say the least. Obviously, the Brits do not share our excitement over our independence, or the declaration thereof, and thus, it was a normal work day for me. However, after working about half the day, I determined that despite being in a foreign land, I would have to attempt a mini-celebration, or at least eat some burgers and barbecue. So, I called Michelle, headed home, and then we all headed out for an exciting American meal.
Mich and I both surfed the web looking for American eats in London, and the best thing we found was the Hard Rock Cafe. Not only did it have American food, but it was also supposed to be decorated for the occasion.
As mentioned previously, the Brits clearly do not share our excitement about our independence, as "decorated" turned out to mean a handful of red, white, and blue balloons sparsely spread throughout the restaurant. I think the burgers were okay, but I can safely vouch for the fact that if Hard Rock Cafe is any indication, the Brits really don't know American barbecue - certainly not the Southern barbecue.
Still, we had a good time, and found out that the London Hard Rock is the original Cafe where it all started. We took some pictures of the rock'n'roll paraphernalia, including the original Hendrix "Flying V" guitar, and several Beatles items. Michelle wanted to go to Covent Garden for some items for her tea, so we headed that way briefly.
When we left home, it looked to be a good day, so we had brought some bread for the kids to feed the pigeons in Trafalgar Square. Although much of the Square was blocked off in preparation for the Tour de France, the pigeons were still there. (I'm not really sure how the Tour ended up in England - someone must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque.) Anyhow, the bread was a great hit with the pigeons, and the pigeons were a great hit with the kids.
As it turns out, the National Gallery stays open late on Wednesdays, so we decided to head in. (The Gallery is on Trafalgar Square.) As before, the art was simply amazing - and we actually got the kids to pay attention to some of the pictures. Maggie can still look at our little map and point to some of the ones we looked at. We also happened to walk into one of the galleries as a classical guitar player was performing, and stayed to listen for a bit. It was really quite neat. Michelle and I agreed that we would come back again later, and given that the pigeons are just outside, we also agreed that it would be fairly easy to entice the kids to go as well.
So, that was our 4th. No fireworks, a distinct lack of "real" American food, but a good day, nonetheless.
3 comments:
J. forgot to add that Maggie and I stood, full of excitement and glee, next to a jacket that Bono wore in the 80s.
I saw that picture and understand your excitement Michelle! You are so funny!
I hear what you all are doing and I really do feel a twinge. Your kids are going to have so many good memories.
If God provided the money...we would be over there in a flash to share some of that with you all...
Hi guys. We all went to Johnny and Annette's for burgers on the 4th. We had a great time (and Annette was kind enough to cook custom food to meet my weird diet rules). However, WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH! The children REALLY missed their cousins being there. Madison kept asking to go to London to play dress-up with "my cousin Maggie" or "my Maggie". The boys keep saving their money to fly over. I think they're up to almost $10 now, so we're getting close! :-) We love you guys. It was so quiet without the extra children running around. And without Maggie jumping/falling in the fish pond....
Post a Comment