Halloween

Halloween in England is nothing like Halloween in America. In fact they don't really like it here at all and would like to send it back to America.

I've had a few bits of decorations out-nothing big and crazy-just what the kids like to see around the house. The kids have their costumes planned and we asked around as to where the trick-or-treating took place.

We've been having a girl down the street (Rebecca) help out with the kids for 2 weeks while we look for a nanny-when I came home from the grocery shopping she told me my neighbor called about appearing on the news. Our neighbor across the street works for the BBC and asked if he could interview me about Halloween and film the kids getting ready.

So after school we invited a few others over, I asked Rebecca to come back in the afternoon to help and we were filmed 'getting ready for Halloween' and they asked me a few questions regarding Halloween and whether I was worried for their safety or if I though Halloween was evil yada yada. Then we were on the East Anglia version of the BBC news on Halloween! Once we figure out how to get it off the digital box and onto tape we can put the segment up here. I even had someone from my flower arranging class come up and tell me they saw me on the news.

Anyway-we also had a small party before we went out (bobbing for apples, snacks and mystery box). At most houses, no one even answered the door, others handed out 1 candy or biscuit that was unwrapped. The kids came home with so little candy that it was gone before the week was done. People here associate Halloween with evil and Satan-all the costumes are scary not cute or creative and all the older people are just afraid of yobs vandalizing their house. We need to set them straight-I think we will have a big party next year.

Corfu-Final Day

Our initial plans for today were to hire a car and drive into Corfu town. Jason has just been knackered from all the business travel, and the kids just wanted to play, so we decided to spend a brainless day at the pool.

First we went out for a nice breakfast-apparently Greeks usually only have a cigarette and coffee for breakfast. We went to the first place we ate at-Jason & I got special omelets and Greek coffee, Griff and Jilly opted for plain scrambled eggs and Kaitlyn got an English breakfast (eggs, toast, baked beans). Once we had our fill, we stopped at the grocery for snacks and went to the pool.

It was another beautiful day and with winter almost upon us we soaked up the warm sun. Around 3 we cleaned up, checked out of the hotel and went into town for an early dinner. We decided to eat at a place that looked like it had smaller meals. Jillian fell asleep in Jason's arms on the way. As we went to sit at a table, a young girl came over with 2 chairs and pushed them together-it took us a minuted to realize it was meant for Jason to lay Jillian down so we could eat. I love traveling in countries that appreciate families and children-England isn't one of them. Soon after we sat down and ordered, the Icelandic family arrived. Our kids, their kids and the daughter of the restaurant staff played a few rounds of Foosball and chased around one of the many cats wandering around the patio.

Just as we were about to eat, a rat ran in the rafters above our heads. I hope we don't get sick. Food wasn't too bad-we made sure to order hot food. Just as we finished Jillian woke up wanting to eat so we ordered her a small plate of pasta while all the other kids disappeared.

As we got up to pay-we found the kids-they were all sitting on top of a pool table watching cartoons with the little Greek girl. After we collected everyone-we went back to the hotel to wait for our bus to the airport.

Typical of small European airports, security was pretty lax. Griffen walked through with a tube of hydrocortisone in his backpack and Jason had an open bottle of kumquat liqueur. It was a long day-we didn't get back to London until nearly midnight and then we had a 2 hour drive home. All in all a good family trip.

Corfu-Day 4

Another early start...this time for Theo's BBQ Boat. It was described as a wild trip with a crazy, short Greek man who likes to play tricks on everyone. It rained last night and seemed a bit overcast, but warmer. The Thompson rep said usually when it rains at night the next day is beautiful.

We survived the bus ride, barely, even I was getting sick, and walked aboard Theo's boat. The plan for the day was to enjoy a 30 minuted or so boat ride to Limnopoula Beach near Kassiopi. At the beach we could play in the water, enjoy water sports and lounge around while waiting for the crew to prepare a BBQ lunch of chicken or pork chop, salad, bread and tsatziki. After lunch we were to get back on the boat to visit the Blue Lagoon and a cave before returning to Corfu.

Theo's antics started soon after we left the dock. Immediately he honed in on some Scottish ladies and a teen boy. He told one boy to go sit next to a girl, put his arm around her and kiss her; and if he didn't then, Theo would kiss him. Next he took someones hat and walked away returning minutes later and put the hat back on.
The trick was in the hat-Theo filled it with shaving foam. Griffen didn't have a hat on, but Theo decided a nice mohawk made with shaving foam would look nice. After a few more practical jokes, we arrived on Kimnopoula Beach.

The men helped Theo and his brothers unload the food and the rest found some lounge chairs. In high season, some 300 people land here for Theo's BBQ-we were the last group of the season with just some 40 odd people (much nicer that way). The day was turning out to be beautiful-sunny and warm.

Theo's crew set about lighting the grills and prepping for lunch. Picture this-a nice secluded beach, a very tan Greek man standing in nothing but small shorts and a sombrero lighting a grill with something that looked like a blow torch. Love it.

Jason went out on water skis, the Kaitlyn ran to the water, Griffen set off with another boy and Jillian sat on a towel under an umbrella trying to play with sand without actually touching it. The air was soon filled with screaming children as Theo talked Kaitlyn into opening her hands with her eyes closed only to find a small crab crawling on her.

Soon the wind was just right and two men decided to go up on the parasail. Here is anther picture for you to conjure...two fairly large men, bald men with tattoos at that, standing behind each other in harnesses. Theo walked up to us and said-"oh I can spot them anywhere-pooftas."

Lunch time-nice juicy chicken breast, fresh bread, tomato, cucumber & red onion salad and tsatziki and all the wine you can drink. Kaitlyn cleaned her chicken up like it was her last meal, and the salad was so fresh and simple that we had to go back for more. After lunch we cleaned up and went back on the boat. By the time we got organized on the boat, I noticed several kids running around with black shoe polish on their faces...Theo must be at it again. With ample warning-a water fight soon started. I thought Jillian and I were safe sitting far back on the top deck-but we still got a shock of cold water.

Our next stop was a gorgeous blue lagoon that Theo set anchor in. Jason was the first to jump off the top deck. Kaitlyn fearlessly jumped of the back and after some serious coaxing Griffen went down the water slide Theo had on the back of the boat. When Jason went off the top, one of the Scottish men said he'd marry me if Jason didn't make it. As I was contemplating jumping off the top-a Scottish woman came up next to me and looked down. After claiming it was pretty high-she climbed over the edged and dove, not jumped, in without a second thought.

Our next stop was a cave that was used during the War to hide gunnery. Theo drove the boat right in and was what seemed like inches from the side of the cave to the boat.

We returned to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool to clean off the beach and changed for dinner-yes our last night we went back to the Balcony.

Corfu-Day 3

No sleeping in today-we are to meet in front of the hotel at 9:30. It is another cloudy day-I hope the water park isn't too cold.

We manage to get the front seats of the bus, vital on these roads when you have kids who are susceptible to car sickness. We wind around the road and swerve around cars for about 40 minutes. Looking around, I notice there is a lot of garbage laying about, unfinished buildings everywhere. It is not uncommon to see a house that has a finished bottom story with rebar sticking out the top waiting for a second floor. There are also houses that have the second floor, but the second floor is unfurnished and has no windows. This looks to be a handy location to dry laundry.

We made it to the boat without incident, or so I thought. Jason didn't escaped the bus before me, but didn't tell me to look out fast enough as I stepped thru another child's reaction to the rough ride. Yuck.

We were told to herd on down to the bottom of the boat as it took off. The kids were excited to be able to see the sea as we moved along. After about 20 minutes, the boat set anchor as 2 SCUBA divers went below to show us various sea creatures. It was completely and utterly cheesy. I am sure the creatures were in cages under the boat, but the kids loved it. Happy kids, happy parents. Once the divers came back aboard, they drove us to a random platform in the sea for another cheesy performance. This one involved some poor sea lions. Didn't quite compare to Sea World.

That all done, time for another 30 minute bus ride to the water park. The car park was looking pretty empty. We wandered in to the whines of 3 hungry children. Although we were told there were numerous places to eat in the park, all but one was closed. That one didn't have much left-they close October 31 as well.

We walked around a bit to explore before venturing into the freezing water. We found some chairs to spread out on in a nice grassy area that the sun sort of shined on every so often. The older 2 didn't seem to mind the cold water and wasted no time picking the first slide. I stayed to watch the bags, while Jason braved the water and took all 3 to the pirate play area. Jillian lasted about 15 minutes.

The rest of the day was spent with Jason & the older 2 enjoying themselves, while Jillian napped and I wished I brought my book. The coldness of the air and water really didn't change the amount of fun that was had, and on the bright side there were no lines to wait in.

We were able to get the front seats on the bus once again. The Thompson reps had to force the driver, Costas, to open his window (he was a bit smelly). About half way back Jillian started to cough in that all to familiar way. The quick reacting reps told the driver to pull over and out of nowhere we were handed tissues and a bag. Disaster averted.

We got back to the hotel, washed up and went to dinner. Where. Ah-you guessed correctly, The Balcony. Kaitlyn ventured out and got fish fingers, Griff and Jilly stuck with pasta. I went with the Greek Salad and Chicken with Mushrooms and rice and requested no chips. Jason picked Greek Salad and Stifado. The hotel staff was very intuitive and each night brought the kids dinner with our salads. We let them eat dessert while we had our main.

Dessert was an event. Each dessert is decorated with umbrellas, plastic monkeys and sparklers. As they are being served the waiter says, "Happy Birthday." Needless to say, we will go home with a handful of plastic monkeys (they also attach them to the kids straws). Off to the disco., then bed.

Corfu-Day 2

We are staying at a Thompson Superfamily Resort. I think it is somewhat similar to a ClubMed of Sandals, but for families instead of single, young guests. This means we have to endure an hour long welcome talk telling us all that Thompson has to offer during our stay. While sitting thru the meeting, we noticed the room was full-which made us feel a bit better (no longer creepy).

We decided to sign up for 2 tours (this being the end of season, you can only get tours thru Thompson and not in town). Sunday: glass bottom boat ride, sea lion show and waterslide park. Monday: Beach Boat BBQ run by some crazy Greek man named Theo.

Once the talk was over-it was time for lunch. We liked where we ate yesterday-so we made a return visit. Pasta for Jilly & Griff, hot dog for Kaitlyn. I got a Greek salad (must stock up of fresh produce as England is a bit lacking). Jason got a 'special omelet'-feta, mushrooms, ham and tomatoes. Yum!

Although it was a mostly cloudy day-we lounged around the pool while the kids played. While watching the kids play, we struck up a conversation with another family and found out the real reason behind the mysterious increase of guests. Apparently our hotel was set to close on Tuesday (which is why I got such a great deal), but another Thompson resort about 20-30 minutes away was evacuated last night and all the guests brought to our hotel. This was due to 2 suspected cases of Legionnaire's disease. The hotel even had to call a few restaurants and bars asking them to re-open for the extra guests. Great.


After a cool day at the pool-we went into town for drinks and dinner. We started off having drinks in a bar overlooking the ocean and the beautiful sunset. Jason and the kids played some pool while Jillian stood at the edge watching the ocean. Next stop-back to the Balcony for dinner.

This being a Saturday-it was much busier than last night, there was a party of locals (always a good sign) and all the extra hotel guests. There was at least a 20-30 minute wait, but we could wait at the bar downstairs and the waiter would come get us. There were a few more families hanging out in the bar watching music videos on a giant screen tv. Jason and the kids played video games while I wrote in my journal. The guy at the bar didn't push anyone to buy drinks and about half an hour later, the waiter came down and said a table was ready for us.

Tonight the kids went for pizza, Jason ate what I had last night and I had Stifado-beef made with lots of cinnamon and baby onions. Of course we had the Greek salad again as well. I think we will have to come back again tomorrow.

Corfu, Greece, Day 1

This is going to be a long one...

The flight was uneventful-although the runway in Corfu is very very short a mere 2000 or so meters long and is built on a narrow strip of artificial land surrounded by water. See link to a video showing you just how short it is.

Once off the plane, we headed through passport control, or lack of. Those flashing a UK passport were waved through, most only showing the front cover of their passport. We had to step aside as well as an Australian couple. After everyone else went through, we waited while our passports were entered into the computer and stamped. We waited another half hour for the luggage which was piled so high on the cars that the driver could only drive about 2 miles/hour if that. After retrieving the luggage we herded onto buses going to various resorts.

Before the bus drove away, our tour rep welcomed everyone, distributed safety booklets and informed us of the high mineral content of the water, the fact that no paper goes in the toilet and it is mosquito season.

We sat at a red light for about 10 minutes or more as a police car blocked all traffic-a plane was preparing for take off and the runway was just yards from the road with only a chain link fence between the two. I imagine this is to prevent cars being blown away by the plane, something residents must endure for tourist season 6 months of the year.

Driving through town I observed several bicycle riders sans helmets weaving thru cars as well as a motorbike with a small child as a passenger without a helmet as well. Jason saw several shops with large animals he thought were cows hanging in the window. I don't think they were cows-beef is usually imported.

After about 45 minutes of winding, dangerous driving, we arrived at the Corfu Plaza Hotel but only us and one other family got off. We wandered around a bit after dumping our luggage and realized it was very deserted here. In fact only 2-3 bars and a few restaurants seemed to be open. Maybe that's why we got such a cheap deal.

We picked a restaurant that looked the cleanest. The kids ate ice cream and fries (its vacation). Jason opted for soup and bread while I went for the Dolmades. We then went to the hotel play area where the kids befriended some children who live in the London area but were from Iceland.

After a bit of play, we went for a siesta in the room. Despite telling Kaitlyn 3 times as we got in the room and once more while she was using the toilet not to put the TP in the toilet, she forgot. Luckily nothing happened and I am sure we were not the first to forget.

After a nap and a quick trip to the mostly empty grocery for water, cookies, and milk, we walked back into town for dinner. Once again we noticed how shut down everything was. While looking at a menu for a place called The Balcony (its main dining area is a balcony overlooking the sea), I spied a waiter waving us up. All the kids received a pat on the head and Kaitlyn said, "Just like Italy mom."

The kids tried to order soda and the waitress said, "Oh no, kids don't like that so much, you would like juice or milkshake better." Jillian dropped her pacifier and the waitress immediately picked it up and washed it.

The menu was in Greek, English, and German and most dishes came with 'chips' catering to the British clientele. I wanted to order something Greek that came without chips-so I pointed out the 'specialities' to the waiter for a description to make sure I didn't get lamb. I ended up with a Greek salad-which came with a huge slab of feta that was wonderfully fresh, a few bits of lettuce, and loads of cucumbers and juicy tomatoes and of course Greek olives. I think I could live off this. My main course, Stamna, is a Corfu specialty. It is like a beef stew full of either lamb or beef, potatoes, carrots, green beans, a fair bit of cinnamon and topped with cheese. Jason had pasta with the same hunks of beef found in my stew.

Corfu is the closest Greek island to Italy, so you find a lot of rice and pasta on the menus and there is even some debate as to who invented pasta; the Greeks or Italians.

Our fellow diners were the kids from Iceland and the staff didn't bat an eye at the kids going back and forth between the tables (unlike England).

We ended the evening with the kid's disco at the hotel-a bit cheesy but the kids loved it and the entertainers put in enough humor aimed at the adults to make it tolerable. The disco was followed by the Greek Dancers, and with only 9 families, we all had to participate. I got out of a bit-Jillian was thirsty so I ran back to the room for her water cup. As I was returning I noticed what looked like bus loads of people arriving-at 10 pm.

Travelin' Again

Half the adventure is always how you get there. With us, the journey started with Jason taking the luggage with him to London 2 days before we were set to leave.

After picking the kids up from school, we rushed home, changed clothes and ate a snack. The taxi arrived an hour later to take us to the train station (only a mile or so away, but I'm not walking that with 3 kids tired from school). The ticket machine wouldn't take my card -that chip and pin thing all over again-and the attendant only works until 1:30, so I purchased some permits to travel and got on the train. No attendant on the train either.

We arrived in London an hour and 15 later in the midst of rush hour. Broken ticket machines must be common as there were several agents waiting to sell you the right ticket to exit. We had a quick bite at Burger King and set off to find the right tube line to Victoria Station. Jason called and said he was stuck in traffic, but should be at the airport when we get there.

Without too much trouble, we found our line. We made it with just 5 minutes to spare for the Gatwick Express. Jason met us as we departed the train. If your flight leaves before noon, you can check in yourself and luggage the night before between 8-10 pm. This is supposed to save time, although we were told to still be at the airport 2 hours before departure; which meant we would be back at 4:30 am.

Is it worth it?

So, I still don't have my name on Jason's account. I have pretty much given up on that. Especially since they are now changing our post code because too many people are moving into this area of England. If they couldn't find me before, how will it be with a new post code?

New issue-driving license. I suppose some of this is our fault for waiting so long and not fully investigating the issue, also part of Amgen's for not really telling us what we needed to do.

Once moving to the UK from a non-EU country, you have 1 year to take and pass the driving test, both written and practical. Apparently we were supposed to get provisional licenses once we moved here. We didn't.

I decided we better get on this as our year is up very soon. I applied for the provisional license on-line-seemed simple enough until I got to the end. If you don't have a UK passport, you have to mail in a certified photo of yourself and your passport to prove you are who you are. Makes sense.

Problem 1:how to certify your photo. Your photo must be signed on the back by a witness. The witness must be a UK resident and have known you personally for 2 years and cannot be a relative. HMmm. Well if one has only lived in the country for 9 months how are you going to do that? So I called the number listed on the web site-only that is not the number of someone who can help me, so I get transferred to another person who cannot help me, but they give me the right number. I call the right number and they transfer me to yet another person. That person tells me-oh yes, to get around the time problem, you must go to your local DVLA office and have someone there sign your photo and fill in a form, then you can mail that with your passport and hope you get it back in 15 days because we are running behind in processing applications. OK. So where is my local office? I don't have one, I have to go to Luton which is basically London. I think we will find someone in Jason's office who we have 'known' for 2 years.

Problem 2:we need our passports. Jason is in Australia right now until next Monday, we go to Greece next Friday for 5 days, Jason is off to the US in November and we are all off to Morocco after Christmas. I can probably manage getting mine off, but not sure about Jason.

Once we have the provisional license we have to take the tests. I talked to another woman in the village and she had to take it 7 times before passing. If you do not pass and your year is up, then you have to put a big red L on your car and you can only drive with a certified driver. So I ask myself, is it worth it? Couldn't I just drive until we move back home and pray I don't get pulled over for any reason? Maybe I should add certified driver to my nanny add?

Bath & Stonehenge

Off on another adventure...this time within the UK. We have heard how beautiful and charming Bath is so we decided to take a weekend away before some more crazy travel from Jason.

Upon breaking the news to the kids, we got the typical response of "I don't want to go see some stupid rocks and water." Not even telling Kaitlyn that the rocks were 2000 years older than Jesus could elicit excitement. Griffen's interested piqued however when he shared with his class our plans. His teacher told him the Romans used to bath in Bath-and since Griffen thinks teachers walk on water-he was good to go.

So Saturday morning we set off to Bath-a more rainy part of England. We took the advice of our tour book and used the Park & Ride and took the bus in-free parking and free fare for the kids. This part of England also has a few hills-unlike Cambridge-so the bus ride in on the double decker was fun. We ate lunch and then headed for the Roman and Medieval Baths. Admission price included self-guided audioguides and even had special audio for the kids. Kaitlyn half-heartedly listened to a few while Griffen went thru and listened to every single number. Jillian got fed up after an hour and wanted her stroller back for a nap.

The water in the main bath is bright green because the pipes carrying the water to the pool are lead as well as the pool having lead sheets lining the bottom. It is amazing to see how all this water was brought from the hot springs and the original in/out paths of the water are still in working order.


The exit of the baths leads you right out to the Abbey, the last great medieval church of England, a mere 500 years old. As we entered the attendant told us an orchestra was rehearsing for a concert but we were still welcome to wander around. So we got the added bonus of enjoying the acoustics of a beautiful Gothic church. We even spied a WWII era American Flag given as a gift to the church. (Being over here, we miss seeing the stars and stripes)

After the Abbey, we went in search of Sally Lunn's Old English Tea House for a cream tea. Sally Lunn's is purportedly the oldest house in Bath (late 15c) and they still use the original bun recipe from 1680.

We are not huge fans of the typical English B&B-overpiced, run down and not very family friendly, so we opted for the Premier Travel Inn in nearby Bristol. Just your basic hotel with attached restaurant, but clean and suitable for families. I researched a bit before we left and found a cathedral in Bristol for Mass on Sunday. It was the first one built in England post Vatican II with the altar close to the people (very similar to St. Mary's in San Francisco). And with impeccable timing it literally rained buckets on us as we ran in.

After mass, we drove to Stonehenge. I'm not sure what I expected. You can see the stones from the road and they are quite impressive once you get as near as you can get to them. It is now a conservation area and they are roped off at quite a distance. Lucky for us however, it was a windy, rainy day and we got great shots with no people in them.


There were actually a lot of Americans there and Jason and I noted how happy they were. The rest of the tourists just grumbled around and we ran into some very rude French people, but the Americans were just clearly happy to be there. Maybe the long vacations and easy access to all of Europe has made Europeans inappreciative.