The End...England - Banbury / London / Topsham
This is it - the final leg of our sabbatical. I'm writing this post from the airport at Heathrow. It's impossible to put into words what this year has meant to us. It's reminded me of the importance and power of friendship and tight bonds of family. I found this quote by Walt Whitman that sums it up: “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough.”
The world is full of beautiful places and people, and to share that with those who are closest to you makes everything more meaningful and special. After this year, we have all become more empathetic, patient, curious and mindful of the joys and challenges humanity faces. The laughs and adventures were endless, and I can only hope Maggie and Finn will be better humans because of this experience. Above all, we are beyond grateful to Jay for making this happen. It wasn't always easy for him to be working while we were traveling, but he managed it and made due in the circumstances he had.
Aurevoir, ciao, hejda, and cheers,
Sarah
May 24th
10pm arrival to London - stay near airport at Staybridge Suits
May 25th
Kaelyn arrives from Amsterdam bright and early and we make our way to Jamie and J.P. Meyer's house in Edgecote.
We took a bus, to a train, to a tube, to another train and made our way to Banbury where Jamie picked us up! It was amazing to connect with our friends, who have been living in England for almost 4 years now. Last time we were together the youngest was just turning 1 and now he's almost 5! We picked up right where we left off and the kids all got along great. Jamie and JP were the hostess's with the mostest - there place was beautiful and they cooked us delicious homemade meals. Lucky for us, they are moving back to Superior later this summer and we wont have to wait another 4 years to see each other!
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| First part of the adventuring with Kaelyn - shlepping luggage on the bus |
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| Quick walk by Italian Gardens in Hyde park |
Off to Banbury...
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| Jamie and JP's beautiful English house |
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| View out bedroom window |
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| Cousins hanging in the kitchen |
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| Cozy kitchen table with wood burning stove |
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| Drew (11) and Finn (10) |
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| Time for some Sticky Toffy Pudding |
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| Walking around the countryside right outside their front door |
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| The church/cemetery on the left & Meyer's house on the right |
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| Hello horses |
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| Fun times on the tree swing |
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| Everyone's out for a stroll |
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| Got stuck in a bit of a down pour |
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| William Shakespeare - Stratford-Upon-Avon |
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| Bubble waffles for Maggie and JJ |
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| Lunch time at the outdoor market in Stratford |
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| Found a carnival in Stratford |
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| We fell in love with Owen, and he fell in love with Jay 😆 |
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| Cheers - loved catching up with Jamie |
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| Jamie and Owen being cute |
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| Game time! |
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| Maggie and Finn's sleeping quarters - pretty sweet! |
May 27th - Bank Holiday
We leave Banbury to go back to London
Our airbnb was right near Paddington Station, next to Sussex Gardens and Hyde Park. It was a great location! Jay has a former postdoc, Davide, who is a professor at Imperial college in London. Davide and his wife, Elizabeth, met up with us and showed us around a little bit. We had dinner at a Neopolitan pizza place. It's always so nice when locals can show you around and give you insider info.
One crazy thing we learned was about the moped phone snatchers in London. I guess two people come zooming by on a scooter and swipe your phone right out of your hand. This actually happened to Elizabeth; they ran over her toes and took her phone. The kids and I had a good system of making human shields and barriers to prevent any phone snatching!
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| Thanks for the reminder! |
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| Kensington Palace and Gardens |
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| Hyde park strolling |
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| The Albert Memorial |
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| Royal Albert Hall - famous music venue |
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| London at night |
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| The passage way that the ballerinas use to get on stage |
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| The fam late night in London |
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| Amazing video experience in this semi-outdoor space |
May 28
We had a RAINY day! The kids and I did some touristy things today:- Buckingham Palace
- Big Ben
- Westminster Abby
- Double decker bus ride
- British history museum
The highlight of our day - HAMILTON
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| More walks through Hyde Park to get to the palace |
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| Mossy spikes guarding walls near Buckingham Palace |
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| The guards at Buckingham - where's the red uniform and black hat?! |
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| At the gates |
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| Row homes around the city |
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| Cafe break to warm up and dry off |
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| Westminster Abbey |
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| Ceiling of the Lady Chapel inside the Abbey |
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| Big Ben |
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| London calling! |
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| Bonjour |
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| Cheers |
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| Riding high on a double decker bus |
Who lives who dies who tells your story...
The second act was too much for Finn (and me). We bawled our eyes out - such a powerful musical. Finn said he cried himself to sleep that night. He gave the first act a 10/10 and the second act a 4/10.
May 29th
- Jay gives a seminar at Imperial College
- Kids and I see London tower and walk along the Thames
- Indian food for dinner, because when in London!
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| Morning game of Black Jack |
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| Down to the tube we go |
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| Tower Bridge |
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| Tower Bridge up-close |
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| The Shard |
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| They found their street |
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| Heading down towards the Thames |
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| Thames and Millenium Bridge |
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| Our new favorite saying - thank you London for this! |
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| Indian take-out for dinner |
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| Post dinner walk in Hyde park - Peter Pan Statue |
May 30th
On to the last adventure of the sabbatical - Topsham
Our Colorado friends, Jackie and John, recently bought a home in Topsham, and we took advantage of them being there to visit another new place. Topsham is by Exeter; it was a three hour train ride from Paddington Station to Topsham (with one transfer in Exeter).
Highlights of our Topsham trip:- Seeing Jackie and John
- Embracing the pub life
- Discovering an amazing playground and park
- Completing a 25 mile bike ride loop
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| The name of our Airbnb |
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| More luggage hauling from the train to the Airbnb |
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| Cute Topsham street |
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| Nice courtyard at Airbnb |
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| Found the best park by our place |
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| Hurdles at the park |
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| Big sky |
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| On the River Exe |
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| Gothic Cathedral in Exeter |
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| Another intricate cathedral ceiling |
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| Exeter Cathedral |
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| He found Hokey Pokey (honeycomb) ice cream |
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| Finn monkeying around at the Exeter Quay |
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| Exeter Quay |
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| Fish and Chips at the Pub |
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| Cheers Kaelyn! |
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| Cousies at sunset 💖 |
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| Can't believe we got to be with John and Jackie in Topsham! |
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| The Passage House Pub |
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| Views from the pub overlooking the river |
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| Pub number 2 - The Lighter |
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| Topsham at night |
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| More of Topsham at night |
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June 1st - Bike ride day
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| The route - Ex. Quay to Exmououth - Ferry to Starcross - back to the Quay |
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| First pub stop |
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| Beach at Exmouth |
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| Nick, John's childhood friend, met up with us |
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| Ferry ride |
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| The turf - a late lunch stop on the other side of the river |
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| More cute cousiness |
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| Leaving the Turf |
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| Last stop - Double Locks |
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| Beautiful sunset!! |
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| Looking back at Double Locks |
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| Let's go.... |
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| Back in Topsham at the Exeter Inn |
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| Finn's request to watch the Champion League Finals at a pub |
June 2nd
Goodbye Topsham - back to London for one last night before we come home!
Of course, we couldn't go to London without visiting the Harry Potter Studios...
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Final view of London from our Airbnb on Sunday night - looking down at Paddington.
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