SAINTS, SHAKESPEARE, AND CONVEYOR BELT SUSHI

Tuesday, June 24^th, was a very full day of terrific touring fun, Aubrey likes our new blog routine and so we begin with her. 

Aubrey’s perspective

Today was great from the famous Westminster Abbey to conveyor belt sushi with an old friend of my dad’s from South Carolina. We started out after a nice breakfast at the hotel and took the tube to Westminster Abbey. It was cool ~ not necessarily fun ~ but interesting and beautiful.  From there we went to see the changing of the guards, which would have been great if we could have seen them better, but that’s OK because we saw a little bit of it and of what we saw it was fantastic! Then we went to a trusty food place [it’s trusty because we went there yesterday and it was good food] called PRET and went on a boat to eat it. We got off the boat and went to Shakespeare’s globe and learned how they did costumes and battles for some of his plays. Finally we hooked up with one of my dad’s friends who lives in London, and we had conveyor belt sushi. For those of you who are wondering what conveyor belt sushi is, it is where there is a little line of sushi and stuff where you grab what you want, eat it, and pay when you’re finished. They really need to get one in Fernandina!

Now it’s Will’s turn:  

Well today was great. We started at Westminster Abbey.  It was cool ~ not fun but very coo. There I learned that the queen is head of the Knights of Bath and has her own chair in the Abbey amongst the nights.  After that we rushed to see some of the changing of the guard.  It was hard to see but what we could see was very cool.  Then we went to a great chain called PRET where you can get almost anything you want [within reason]. After getting our food “to go” we got on a boat and ate on the water. Then we saw the Shakespeare’s globe which was cool.  After that we met up with one of my dad’s friend’s, Josh. With Josh we went to a pub called ye olde Cheshire Cheese and had a great dry ginger ale.  Then we saw some shops and ate at Yo Sushi where a conveyor belt went around the restaurant and if something looked good you took it and ate it.  I personally loved it. Then we went home. Wow what a day.

WILL THE YO SUSHI LOVING BEAST OUT!

Well loved ones and friends it was indeed a very full day, and I have to say that the Westminster Abbey trip was moving beyond words.  In preparation for Scotland I have been reading up on Mary Queen of Scots, and I got to visit where she is buried.  Poet’s corner rendered both Sarah and me speechless, and we were so impressed by what the children noticed and the thoughtful questions they asked of the volunteers there.  Since the Abbey is an active church, once and hour everyone is asked to pause for a moment of prayer where over the PA system one of the priests leads a prayer.  Tues was a time of remembrance for John the Baptist, and to remembering John’s life and work was the substance of the prayer.  During that prayer of remembrance, thanks, and blessing, Sarah, Will, Aubrey, and I huddled together and offered ourselves to God.  It was such a special time for me.  It was also special that we could light candles for people in need of prayer and so we did so for Clay Treska and Bea Griffith who are both dealing with cancer and each doing so with such courage and faith. 

Lunch on the boat as we cruised the river Thames was so relaxing.  The weather was balmy and warm, the bottom level of the boat wasn’t crowded, and so we just enjoyed one another and got recharged.  After lunch, though we missed a show and an official back stage tour of Shakespear’s theatre we did get to see the museum and enjoy a couple of presentations, one of sword fighting and one on costumes. Since Will and Aubrey have recently been in the play Oliver, we thought they would love it and love it they did!  I really enjoyed all the artifacts from the original play house, and I got to see original pages of his First Folio.  It was amazing. 

Later we connected with Josh Mitchell, a wonderful person in my life whose ties go way back to my childhood and his in Batesburg-Leesville, S.C.  His family and our family worshipped together at B-L Presbyterian for years.  The Mitchell’s sat on the third pew and we sat on the fourth.  We had lots of laughs together remembering Tom Engle, and we got caught up because we haven’t seen each other in years.  I lost track of Josh somewhere around my time in seminary or just after ordination.  He went off to Clemson and was in the band and got a degree in Business Development (he has a passion for urban planning).  He showed us all over London and took us to a favorite pub of his, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, which ironically just so happens to be one of my all time favorite pubs!  It was a joyful moment of coalescence when he suggested that we should go there!  He also found us the sushi place that Aubrey and Will mentioned, and we did have fun watching the little pods of food go by.  We ate like royalty and laughed, and we just had a grand time. 

The day was so wonderful, but by the time we got back to the hotel we were really wiped out.

LONDON FUNDON

It is early on Tuesday, and the kids and Sarah are all asleep.  I decided to come to the hotel lobby for a bit of blog catch up.  Wow, what a time we are having!  Last night, Sarah and I needed to do laundry, and so we let the kids begin the blog.  By the way, London Laundromats are not cheap:  it cost us 5 pounds for one load of clothes and then another 2 pounds to dry!  In American dollars, 2 loads of clothes set us back about $25!  Our clothes are not clean, and my wallet is much thinner!

Here is Aubrey’s take on things thus far:  “Today was a great first full day in London! My favorite part I have to say was M&M World because I’m just a kid and it’s a fact that kids love candy, especially when there  is 4 floors of all things M&Ms!  We went on a peaceful boat ride on the Thames river, which was great. We also went to the Churchill War Room which was an underground war shelter from World War 1 and 2. It was very interesting and fascinating. We saw Big Ben and the London Eye which seemed to move REALLY slow! We saw the London Bridge and went under it on the boat and it surprisingly DIDN’T fall down [which was good because I was worrying]! A great day in London and hopefully a better one tomorrow!”

Here are some of Will’s thoughts:  “London’s great!  So far we have been to two pubs: one traditional pub for our first meal in London where we all had the real deal fish and chips (with a nasty green pea mash). More about the other pub in a minute.  Then we had dinner at a place called Garfunkels and the food was ok (not great) but not bad with a milk shake that was milk with a dash of  ice cream (weird but that’s what they gave me so that’s what I ate). Now today we had a buffet breakfast at the hotel and then went on a tube ride [the tube is the subway] to get our London Passes.  The place where we were to pick them up wasn’t open, so we got to M&M World just in time for the whole staff to greet us to the hit song, “Happy” (“Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.”  Once done there, we got our London Passes and started to tour.  Once we finished seeing the national gallery, we went to grab something  for lunch that was light but good, then we did all the Churchill War Rooms.  We had dinner and it was awesome!  We ate at a German pub and ate lots of great German food like a 350g meat ball and different sausages.  Tomorrow will be just as good or twice as good.  WILL OUT ~ LONDON RULES ~ PEACE.”

Sarah’s going to take a pass on the blog for now.  I’ll coax her into writing something later.  Here are some of my thoughts thus far!  Wain’s turn:   Hi there from the land of fish and chips, Beefeaters, royalty, and jolly good times!  We Wesberrys have moved our adventure from Iceland to the land of Great Britain.  We had quite a smooth day of travel on Sunday and got settled into our room at the Crown Plaza in London on the west side of the city.  After getting settled in, we went to a wonderful little pub about 8 minutes away where Sarah got a cider, I got a beer, and we all enjoyed real fish and chips!  Yum.  We then wandered back to our new home-away-from-home that is only blocks away from Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, and so we spend the bulk of Sunday afternoon there, enjoying the gorgeous, balmy 75 degree weather and seeing what Londoners do for the afternoon.  The park is green and vast with the smells of picnics and flowering plants, and it was lovely. 

We walked to the Speaker’s Corner where on Sunday afternoon, people come bringing their little step ladders to take a stand or preach about all kinds of topics.  I was expecting to find a cast of characters who were more like Disney actors who wore various kinds of period clothing who would give speeches and talk about things from different periods of British history.  Since there were so many things dedicated to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the park, I thought surely someone would be doing some Victorian era bantering.  Boy was I surprised!  There were a good number of fire and brimstone street preachers telling everyone to repent or face the wrath of God.  There were agnostics and atheists arguing with them. Then there was this one man, probably in his mid 60s, a slight framed British citizen who had a large crowd around him, and he was addressing the topic of Syria and the need for new ways of thinking there.  There were many non-British and non-American people there who were shouting back at him.  This whole scene freaked out Aubrey, but Will was quite fascinated by it.  Sarah and I were as well.

Sarah and Aubrey found a bench out of the fray and the chaos, but Will and I listened for a bit until I felt like things were getting so heated that it might be best for us to find the park bench Sarah and Aubrey were enjoying.  It was difficult answering the question that came from Will, “Dad, what was that all about?”  The whole experience at the Speaker’s Corner revealed something significant to me: the people who were shouting were very passionate, but they were not in the least bit interested in who was listening to them.  The people who were listening to those on the little step ladders were not the least bit interested in listening and really hearing what was being said.  There were was disconnection on the surface, but as I wandered through the crowds near each group, I observed others talking face-to-face with one another and at least modeling a form of engagement that was more sincere. From a pure oratorical (and even homiletical) point of view, I found the Speaker’s Corner to be so intriguing and yet so sad, sad because one is led to believe the myth that genuine connections are being made there (real listening happening, problems being addressed and solved, understanding growing), and yet in reality it was all a bunch of “us” verses “them.”  

 

We then rented bikes and rode them all around the parks and found a memorial playground dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana, and the kids enjoyed time there for a bit.  A really funny thing happened there.  This tiny little girl, maybe three, manages to get away from her mommy as mommy is trying to change her.  The girl runs to a grassy area near us, squats down and tinkles right there near Aubrey, who at this point is wide eyed and about to burst in laughter.  As all of this happens, the girl’s mommy is saying, “Ohhhhh nooooo!  You have a loose bottom!  What are you doing?!  Not right here in the paaaark!”  Hilarious. 

As the day was coming to a close, we walked back to our hotel and on the way back stopped at a very special place for me: the Lord Baden Powell House which includes a large statue in memory/honor of him.  The house used to have a scouting museum but that got moved a couple of years ago.  It now has some sort of hotel with a nice little café on the ground floor that looks kind of like a student union center at a college.  I got my picture by the statue and had a wonderful time remembering so much that I experienced and learned during those wonderful years of my life.  Good times.  Great memories.  We then wrapped up the day with a supper at Garfunkyls, a little place right across the street from the hotel.  It has the feel of an Applebee’s and the food was okay—not great but okay.  We learned pretty quickly that soft drinks here are very expensive: 2.75-3.50 (pounds!).  We crashed pretty hard and slept in a bit on Monday.

Tuesday started with a wonderful British breakfast at our hotel: eggs, sausages, mushrooms, beans, grilled tomatoes, fruits, coffee, juices, and all kinds of cereals!  It was delicious and the perfect start to the day.  We took the tube down to the area to pick up our London Passes and got there before the office opened.  So to kill a few minutes, we wandered around Leicester Square and found M&M world which was colorful and exciting.  Will and I were the first to go through the doors, and we were welcomed like royalty.  It was so fun. 

Next came touring the National Galleries where we feasted our eyes upon some amazing works of art.  There were halls and rooms filled with pieces by Rembrandt, Monet, Michelangelo, and Van Gogh (just to name a few).  It was so moving and truly inspiring.  There was a moment when all of us were looking at a Rembrandt depicting a vision from God, and I got such a rich feeling that what we were doing together as a family was really, really special.  What a moment of God’s grace.  Afterwards, we enjoyed a light lunch on the steps of Martin in the Fields Church.  We toured the church afterwards and even went down to the crypts below and discovered a little chapel in honor of a priest who served there years ago.  He was a real pastor’s pastor, and the kids loved the granite communion table and some works of art from Africa in the corner of the worship space that depicted Mary and Jesus, Joseph (holding a hammer and saw), and a prophet. 

We then made our way to the Churchill War Rooms.  We had about a 30 minute wait in line, but once we got in we discovered that it was well worth the wait.  The tour includes using phone-like audio devices that are connected to each room on the tour.  There are more than 30 points of interest that have audio presentations.  It was without a doubt one of the best presentations of history I have ever experienced all centered around the strong figure of Churchill.  It took about 2 hours to go through it, and the kids stayed engaged the whole time.  Truly amazing, and gave me such gratitude for all that our “Greatest Generation” did for us in the world.

After that experience, we took a nice river cruise on the Thames and enjoyed our very own family flotilla.  We got water and snacks and enjoyed the scenery of London from the water.  It was a perfect time of relaxing.  We then wandered towards the Tower only to discover that it is closed, and so we took some time to enjoy a lovely church near there called All Hallows by the Tower.  The thing that stood out for me there was the many ways they paid tribute to people who were on the sea, sailors, those kidnapped by pirates, and those in the military.  We wandered around the streets some more and were getting hungry and cranky as the blocks passed by and the time wore on.  The kids were hanging in there the best the could, but they were about at their limit.  Just in time, we wandered upon a German Pub that lifted our spirits.  We ate sausages and schnitzels, fries and red cabbage, and it was great.  I got a Monday special that included a large pint of beer and was a happy traveler.  After eating we made our way back to the hotel for rest.  When I got back and check-in on Facebook, Josh Mitchell sent me a message.  He lives in London and wants meet up for a drink or food.  How wonderful it is to hear from him, a fellow B-L Panther from South Carolina whose family worshipped one pew in front of us for years at good old B-L Presbyterian. 

London is giving us many fantastic memories.  We are all learning and growing, and our time together as a family has been just perfectly perfect.  More adventures today!

FAMILY TRAVEL CHECK-IN

Friday, the day of summer solstice, the longest day of summer back in the states happens to be a time here in Iceland where we will get just a couple of hours of what weather people call “civil twilight”—enough light where objects are clearly distinguishable and outdoor activities can carry on (if dawn) or end (if dusk) without any sort of artificial illumination.  What a day--21 hours and 8 minutes of daylight!  We took a bus tour called the “Golden Circle Tour” today and  learned of a golf course nearby where they do an all day—all night tournament, marathon golf!  If we didn’t have an early morning flight out, I’d be tempted to enter it.  

We wrap up our stay in Iceland tonight and head tomorrow for London, England.  We wanted to give the whole family a chance to check-in on the Wesberry family travel fest thus far.  Just to set the stage today, we ate breakfast in after a great night of sleep.  We found a grocery store nearby called “Bonus” (their logo is a big fat pink pig, kind of like Piggly Wiggly in South Carolina!)  and enjoyed yogurt, muesli, fruit, coffee, and juice then got ready for our big day of travel and site seeing.  

The tour was on a large bus, and it took us to see a live Geysir about 1.5 hours northeast of Reykjavik.  Though it was cloudy today and only about 50 degrees, the landscapes were breathtaking, and we got to see huge fields, horses, livestock, mountains, and lakes on the way there.  After Geysir, we went to a massive waterfall created by a glacier melt at Gullfoss, then we went to a huge national preserve with a large lake (85 sq. km) that included some incredible places for salmon fishing and camping, a place named Pingvellir.  The incredible thing about Pingvellir is it is where the American Continental Plate and the European Continental Plate are pulling away from each other at a blazing pace of 3 cm per year!  That’s right, we saw some continental plate cracking with our own eyes!  Pingvellir also happens to be the place where way back in the 800s AD, the people formed their first governmental system for Iceland, a parliamentary style system where people gathered and debated over issues and voted on solutions with the majority ruling.  So…it was quite a day, a wonderful day, punctuating a most incredible trip to a cool country.

Here’s Sarah’s take on the day: I have a new goal:  to become an elf “interpretator” (as our tour guide described the sacred role) so I can help Iceland develop their infrastructure and still maintain good relations with the elfish world.  Fortunately, I will be able to get a jump start on this goal tonight, since the summer solstice is said to be particularly magic and my chances of seeing an elf are greater tonight than at any other time of the year.  Other fun solstice opportunities:  If I happen to meet an animal at a crossroads, he (or she) will be able to speak to me, and if I go down to the seaside, the seals will have turned into people and will try to lure me into the sea.  I love this place!  

Aubrey’s perspective: For the most part the day was great except the long boring bus rides from here to there, but the good thing about the bus was we heard story’s of elves, trolls ,and magical creatures that can talk![as my mom mentioned]. The elves lived in big rocks for houses and are told to be able to communicate with the few people with special power to to understand them. 

The trolls only come out tonight, summer solstice, and frolic around the streets dancing. The magical animals that come and cross the streets can talk[but only when coming to cross the streets]. And the seals [oh the seals!] can turn to into humans only today, and try to lure other humans into the sea. The story’s put me to sleep and when I woke I got to see some great sites of Iceland! My favorite site of Iceland was the geyser that erupted ever 8-10 minutes! A great day to sum it up!

Will’s thoughts:  So far Iceland has been a blast. The air is cool but not cold and definitely not hot or humid.  We did have long bus rides but it was a good chance to take a nap.  And the sights where awesome.  The stuff about the trolls and elves and seals I think came from hammered people who where just being hammered people. When I say hammered I mean drunk. Myfavorite sight was where the tectonic palates where pulling apart and I knew all about thanks to Mr.Lane.  Now on to my favorite topic.  FOOD.  The best place to for breakfast and tea was the Lundromat it’s a must for great food and drink.  Iceland is also home to some weird candy bars like the Nizza and Curlywurly.  The prices are weird so you can spend 1100 kr and that’s like ten bucks.  But Im adjusting just in time to leave.  All in all I love not to be mistaken with the Macdonalds slogan “I’m lovin’ it.”  Will out~PEACE! P.S: You can follow me at Instagram: will_wesberry.

Wain here:  my favorite memory of the day was seeing the huge waterfall and hearing the story about Iceland’s first environmentalist, a beloved old lady who spent the bulk of her life fighting big business to protect the waterfalls she loved.  She won!  Favorite memory of Iceland:  climbing the tower in the church a few blocks away and watching the kids’ faces as they looked out over the city.  London, ready or not here we come.

SKOLAVORDUTIGUR

SKOLAVORDUTIGUR

Iceland, wow what a place!  I write from a small square table in our Grettisborg apartment in the heart of Reykjavik.  Will and Aubrey are resting, and it is 8:40 in the current time zone, but our American bodies are still feeling like it’s 4:40 a.m.  Our flight over from Boston on Iceland Air went very well.  The plane was full, and we headed out of the states close to 9pm Thursday night.  We didn’t rest much, but we managed okay.  I was in between Will and Aubrey who enjoyed very much the small television screens in front of them in the back of their seats and watched old tv shows till late in the night.  I tried to rest but found a hollering child and a guy in front of me crinkling a bag of chips to be pretty annoying—until I found my trusty ear plugs.  Thank God for them.

We arrive in Iceland around 6 am (2 our time), and it was rather rainy and cool (like low 50s).  It was strikingly different in landscape.  Rocky soil and green.  The sky was quite gray, and the trip through customs and security was a piece of cake.  We had a nice bus trip to our flat, about 45 minutes into the city and found that all was still and quiet.  We secured our luggage in a small laundry room then headed out to see for the first time the small streets of the city.  It felt very different, especially when compared to Boston, right away.  The homes are very close together, and many people had windows cracked for cool air.  We saw an array of unfamiliar cars parked outside homes, no yards to speak of, and many different colored homes (yellows, blues, and grays are pretty popular).  We were all pretty tired but also energized by finally being here.  We immediately got tickled at the names of the streets—talk about impossible to pronounce: Skolavordutigur and Langagegur are the main streets in the city where most of the retail shops are and many of the historic sites.  Can I please buy a vowel?

We found our way to a tourist help spot owned and operated by a 40s ish age Scottish man who married a gal from Iceland.  He was very helpful, witty, and very eager to point us in many different directions.  The first honey hole he lead us to was breakfast, and my were we hungry.  It was a local spot called the Laundry Mat, a wonderfully warm and friendly restaurant on the top floor with a laundry facility below.  It has a bar in the center, lots of colorful books on the shelves, and booths all around the walls.  It was like a Stax Omega of Reykjavik.  The staff were young adult females who were all so friendly and helpful.  We ate like royalty, and the coffee (bold and dark) was delicious. The kids and Sarah had fried eggs with ham slices, and I got the “clean” breakfast, a very British style meal containing: grilled tomato, fruit (melon and pineapple), a mountain of scrambled eggs, yogurt with muesli, and chocolate butter and orange marmalade.  After lingering over a second cup of coffee and taking in all the decorations in the restaurant (maps all over the walls, lots of color, piles of books and such), we began walking all over the city enjoying the sites our Scottish friend suggested. It was so much fun, even though at various times we all struggled from the effects of jet lag.  I couldn’t be prouder of how the kids soldiered on. 

The first official stop was “The Settlement Exhibition” that was in the bottom of a hotel in the heart of the old town.  It was a step into the Viking age and was a wonderful description of how the early settlers here lived.  The centerpiece of the exhibit was the earth and stone foundation of what historians believe is the first home of people here.  The docent showed the kids all about how people cooked and what kinds of swords they used, and the kids even managed to catch a nap there. 

We stopped in many shops to get a feel for the culture, and my how they love their trolls, wool sweaters and caps, and words that are hard to pronounce: Landnamssyningin—how is that for hard to say?  We had fun going in Parliament, to city hall, and to the town pond.  We wandered in a small grocery store for a Icelandic version of a Diet Coke (Coke Light) and some food for a snack.  It was around lunch time, but we weren’t really hungry because breakfast was so huge.  The drinks were perfect and the chocolate bars were mostly good: I enjoyed a smaller 2 stick Kit-Kat and a candy bar of Iceland called a Sazza, this one in a blue wrapper, and it had milk chocolate filled with rice crispies.  Yum!  I tried something else that turned out to be pretty terrible. It was a chocolate covered piece of nasty black licorice.  I don’t mind black jelly beans, but the bar was not what I was expecting or hoping—live and learn, eh?

After snack time, we made our way to the main church in town that sits high above the city.  It is a vast concrete looking structure with a huge tower that we paid a little money to climb to the top of.  It is called “Hallgrimskirkja.”  Iceland, we learned, was not Christian until about 1000 AD, and about 80% of the people belong or are connected with the state church.  That church happens to be Protestant and is a Lutheran Evangelical Church.  When we wandered in to this gorgeous sanctuary, we heard the sound of a bold pipe organ, and an organist was giving a bit of a concert.  He was not playing recognizable hymns, but the music was really lovely.  We climbed to the top of the tower and enjoyed views of the city, the sea, and of God’s glorious island.  Wow!  We also took note of the church’s pulpit which stood high in the front corner about 8 feet above the congregation, the rectangular communion table up some stairs from the congregation, and then the very unique baptismal font, an acrylic looking piece of art really that was in front of the pulpit.  Gorgeous. 

After our church tour, we could head back to our apartment and settle in at the Grettisborg, enjoying a second floor room overlooking a little courtyard like area.  It was a lovely place with a common room, kitchenette, bath with a fantastic shower, and beds.   We got settled in, the kids watched a little tv, we rested a bit then headed out for a mid afternoon adventure.  We learned from the notebook in the flat that the locals love their time at the local pool and hot tubs.  The oldest one in town made in the 1930s was only a couple of blocks away. So we ventured there, and what fun it was!  We checked in and had to shower up before suiting up and swimming.  There was a huge indoor pool (Olympic size) with a very springy diving board, I think a 3 meter, that we all enjoyed.  Aubs ended up doing about a 2.5 front flip off of it, a little gymnast’s dream.  Then on the outer deck there were multiple hot tubs, one hotter than the other.  So for about an hour we went in and out and enjoyed the refreshing water and family fun.  One unusual feature I noticed was on the pool deck (all tile mind you) there were free weights. You could curl some dumbbells, do some crunches, then jump back in the pool!  After our swim adventure, we headed home, no quite hungry, for a quick trip to the grocery store for breakfast foods and snacks and then for supper.  We ate not far away in a wonderful pub like place called Vegamot.  I got a great Icelandic beer that was much like a Shocktop but not as fruity.  Aubs got loaded nachos, Will got chicken, pasta and veggies, Sarah got a salad with chicken on it, and I got salmon with noodles and veggies.  It was kind of a Mexican/Asian/Iceland fusion restaurant of sorts that got rave reviews in all the travel journals. 

We came back to the flat around 7:30 and were exhausted, so we got cleaned up and crashed hard!  We did watch a little tv before bed and found that most of the programming is British.  We saw some recap show of the Britain’s Got Talent program and enjoyed that much because it was similar to the American version.  We all slept well.  I got up around 2 or so for the bathroom, and the kids and Sarah were sleeping soundly.  Today we may do a tour to catch the geysers and some of the out of town sites.  Feels good to be rested.  Bring on more places we cannot pronounce!

THIS SIDE OF THE SEA

It's been quite an adventurous day on our last day in Boston this go round.  It is Thursday, June 20th, and we opted to have a bit of a lazy time at the hotel.  We ate in the room and got organized for our day.  Weather started off cloudy, and so the New England aquarium seemed like a great choice, and once again Sarah had $3 coupons for each of us--proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!  We made it there around 10, along with every other primary school group in all of the state!  It was crowded but so much fun.  We saw penguins, seals, fish of every kind, turtles, jelly fish, and most any other creature who lived in the sea.  Didn't see a whale, but that is ok!  Despite all the kiddie groups, who were for the most part, wonderful we did our own thing and learned a whole lit.  One highlight for me has to do with the figure of Sam Adams, how rugged and innovative he asy.  We always think about the beer named in his honor--a good Boston tradion--but more than they, he had the courage to stand up to the red coats and for his people and the causes in which he believes.  Will and I got pics in front of the large Adams statue real close to the markets we hit yesterday.  All and all it's been a wonderful day.  From the many different species of marine life to going back to Durgin Park for a little lunch (I had loaded twice baked potato skins) and then Aubs and I went to the Fenway Park story--The Original seller of all Red Sox items--and wow, did I not bring enough money.  You could buy everything from hats and shirts, to Red Sox diapers, signed balls and cards, and even stadium seats and bases!  Again, wow.  We got Will a little Sox Pex despenser and I got a Red Sox hat pin.

After a change of clothes, we made our way to the airport via the T and a very affordable shuttle service.  We got to Boston Logan with plenty of time to spare and have been getting our bellies full and our bodies ready for the big flight tonight.  I am sure we will be tired as can be come tomorrow, but it is about impossible not to feel excited and kind of ramped up in Logan airport.  We are in concourse E, which is for all the international flights.  People are buzzing about, there are many nationalities present, and they love another.  We love to do a little people watching and are praying that all the small, noisy kids in the terminal either get lost or go to Hong Kong! We really need to sleep on the flight as much as possible to have a chance at not feeling aweful tomorrow.

There have been many times these last few days, today in particular, where we have just felt in the mix of things, of people, and of life.  Like NY it seems that this city doesn't sleep.  People have been very kind and inviting, and if we'd appeared to be non-Bostonian, the people with whom we interacted seemed all the more patient and understanding.  So, good bye Boston for now.  We'll catch you in a little more than a month, and memories of our time here will be with us always!  Thanks for the history, the memories, and the many, many smiles.

BOSTON STRONG

Wednesday was a day of touring in Boston.  We caught some rest after a wonderful night of baseball at Fenway where the Sox defeated the Twins.  We ate breakfast in the hotel and had a Duck Tour down at the Prudential Center that began at 9:30.  The Wesberry family is getting better at the T schedule, and we made it for the tour with a little time to spare.  Walking was much easier with fresh feet and a belly full of oatmeal, great coffee, and for the kids pancakes!  Yum.  Wonderful service and friendly people.  In fact everyone person has been so wonderful, warm, and welcoming.  It's like we're in the south, but we're not.  It's a huge and historic old city, and we learned today of the people's pride for their beloved Boston, and I have to say we are catching on.  I am really not a big city guy, but if I had to be one I'd choose Boston in a skinny minute.  

The duck tour is very touristy, but it was well worth every penny.  We got the pink boat/bus, and our guide was a local named "Fluffy Ruffles," a dark haired guy wearing a black Elvis like wig, some Vegas cheap shades, and a ruffly pink tux shirt with a black tie untied.  He was a character, cracking lame jokes all the way, but telling us all about the historic sites of Boston.  We learned a lot in 90 minutes, and the key feature of the tour is getting to go on the water, and Will got to drive the boat for quite a bit.  I was so proud.  Aubs got a little sleepy, but it was so warm and comfy--why not doze a little.  We saw the sky line, many sites on the freedom trail, many churches and sky scrapers, and lots of busy strees.  We saw the capital and the graves of Sam Adams and Paul Revere--big tourist spots.  We also saw sites from the movie Good Will Hunting.

After the tour, we did a little grocery shopping right by the tour stop.  There aren't many grocery stores like down south with big parking lots and people coming and going in cars.  Not in the city.  People typically pop into a small place, grab food, and carry it on food using small bags.  We did that and basically got snacks and water, headed to the Prudential center for a food court style lunch at a wonderful little Japanese place where there was teriaki chicken and rice for the kids and fresh sushi for the adults.  It was great, and we got to people watch.  So many people here are from multi-ethnic backgrounds.  So very cool to see and hear.

After lunch we went back to the hotel for a little rest period, then we headed to the North End to the musuem of science (had some duck tour coupons which made Sarah very happy).  By the way, we have spend some money here--my goodness--worth every penny, but my how one can burn through some cash being a tourist--ooooweee!  We took a number of trains to get to the science center--only took about 25 minutes--and had an amazing 2 hours that included a magic/science show, many fabulous exhibits (one that had an old dinosaur skeleton named "Cliff," which Will and I had fun goofing around with and another cool exhibit on space travel.  There were replica capsules for various moon landings that were fun to see and a lot of incredible pictures and astronaut memorabilia.  Way fun.  

The kids even found an exhibit about how our bodies work and gross realities that was very interactive.  We played a huge life-size version of the game Operation, and we learned about farts, snot, bugars, and what not.  It was a middle schoolers dream.  

We then made our way to little Italy at the recommendation of our friend Kristen Beagini who used to live in Boston.  We ate an early supper after some walking to La Summa, and oh my God, it was outstanding, a small boutique of an Italian place, run by a family, and the food was like Italy--no lie.   Will tried lobster chowder, AJ got a Caesar salad, and Sarah and I shared a caprese.  Outstanding!  She got large rice balls for her entree, AJ got pasta with chicken and brocolli, Will got chicken parmesean that was so crispy and tender, and I got meat balls.  Yum!  We shared a special appetizer: procutto wrapped figs.  Amazing--all of it.  We left with full bellies and headed out to find Paul Revere's house and in so doing caught a few great sites on the freedom trail (marked with red bricks), then we got gelato and took a rest in a park where kids were playing.

We then headed back to the Fanuiel Hall area so Aubs could get her purple sweatshirt--don't know why purple, but that's AJ.  She was so happy and walked the fastest of the trip in pursuit of this garmet of clothing.  Go figure.  She is soon to be 11!  We planned to head back home at an early hour, but that plan got foiled by an emergency on another train. So we were delayed and had to scramble a bit to get the right combo of trains to make it back to the Buckminster.  We got in by 10 and all took showers and we crashed hard.  Sarah and I had laundry to do ($2.00 to wash and $2.00 to dry)--wow!  I slept fine and woke up early to write and enjoy a little down time this morning.  How I love the mornings.

I am learning so much about our nation's history in Boston, and that is really the root of a lot of Boston pride as I see it.  As we traveled the north end last night, we got a sense of the significant immigrant influence, the pride of the people, their hard work, their many small contributions to communities who over time made huge differences in the neighborhoods and in the city (and thus in our nation).  You could smell the aroma of sacrifice and you got a general sense of love--neighbor for neighbor, friend for friend, and with all the large pictures of families in the restaurant hallway near the bathroom, you got a sense of family connection.  It was all very moving.  A highlight of the day came in watching how much Will and Aubrey are soaking up all the history and fun.  They really got into the tourist experience, and many times we found them exploring something on their own, taking pictures, asking questions, and doodling in their journals.  

Today is a day of transition as we prepare to make the trek across the big sea to Iceland.  Bless, O Lord, the events of the day!

BOSTON

Our journey began on June 17th at 4:00 am with showers and getting the last few items in the luggage. Extra tooth brush? Check.  That cell phone charger? Check. Keith Edwards picked us up promptly at 5 and took us on a dark and peaceful ride to the airport where we checked in with Jet Blue, made it through security, and enjoyed a moment's peace with Starbuck's coffee and something to nibble on.  By 6:45 we were boarding and by 7:15 we were in the air. The flight was great. Each seat had a video screen, and Aubs sat next to me with her pink manatee stuffed animal as I enjoyed the Today Sow and Sports Center. She watched cartoons. Sarah and Will were in front of us, and Angela and the flight crew kept the drinks and snacks coming. Had blue potato chips. Yum!  Got to Boston, Logan around 9:45, and flying over the water sail boats looked like tiny bits of popcorn speckled over the water.  The day was sunny and mild, like 83 with no humidity.  We took a bus to the T, the had an adventure on the trains getting to the Buckminster Hotel. Will's first train started before he was ready and sent him to the floor and on the lap of a nice older gent. The look on his face was priceless.

We arrived at our hotel around 11:00 and locked up luggage. The building is old and sits just a block beyond Fenway. Awesome.  We ventured back on the T to Fenuiel Hall and the markets for lunch at Durgin Park, a Boston must visit. We had ice cold water, corn bread squares, Sarah had a veggie plate with baked beans (small, sweet, so flavorful), will got chicken pot pie, Aubs got a grilled chicken sandwich with great crispy fries, and I got the pot roast with mashed taters and carrots. I also got a bowl of clam chowder that we shared, and it was really great.  The food was all home cooked and the restaurant was a real treat. We sat on the second floor and overlooked the markets that were brimming with people.  Loved the red checked table clothes and the fact that they leave the water pitcher on the table as you eat.


We headed next to visit the markets and amidst the tourists and regular Boston crowd, we enjoyed
really historic buildings and sites. Lots of cool shops and street performers. We toured Fenuiel Hall
and wow what a majestic place. Loved the art, architecture, and the military room on the 4th floor with swords, uniforms, and memorabilia that captures American history in such a cool way. Will was a bit tired, but he perked up for it.  All for free!  Also caught a moving holocaust remembrance walk with quotations in glass and names listed and key dates. Very touching--located in the middle of a path with historic bars and buildings on one side and commercial spaces on the other.

Food was a bit pricey: $70 for lunch for 4!  We needed a rest by about 3 so we went back to the hotel, catching ice cream at McDonalds near the hotel, and got our rooms. Simple, spacious, not posh accommodations. Got settled in and cat napped and cooled off, ahhhhhh, then we took a walk to the Prudential building to get Duck Tour tickets for Wed and site see. It was sunny and hot, people were strolling about, lots of young adults (we are blocks away from Boston Univ), and after about 30 minutes we found the tour place. Got tickets then wandered to the public library--oh my goodness
how gorgeous. Huge facility with statues and a lovely courtyard with a fountain and people sitting enjoying books, coffee, conversation, and the quiet. Could have spent days there.


We were short on time, by now close to 5:15. Opted for T ride to hotel. Got tickets on the trusty Charlie Card but got frustrated on the platform because it was rush hour and all trains were packed full! S we hoofed it back to hotel for a 35 minute, hot walk. Aubs changed clothes, Sarah freshened up, and Will and I plopped on the lobby couches. We then made it to Fenway Park by 6:30. It was magical, inspiring, and so, so cool! It turned my rather sweaty foul mood into pure joy.  Our seats were 9 rows off left field! We got great views and settled in before the game with ballpark food: Italian sausage dog for me, water, kids got sodas (refillable) for $8.50, I got Cracker Jacks, and they got chicken fingers and fries. Will also got ice cream in a sox mini helmet. Aubs got pink cotton candy. The game was great. The national anthem was sang by about 16 men all in harmony. They had a historic Minute Men color guard. The park had a nice breeze all night, and the baseball was outstanding. Lots of good pitching, hits, foul balls near us, and the sox beat the Twins 2--0!

We sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," after the 7th inning and as we headed into the 9th, we sang "Sweet Caroline."  It was really special, standing arm and arm singing together in the nation's oldest ballpark.  We ended the night after 11 coming back to the hotel for showers and rest.   Planning on the Duck Tour of the city tomorrow.  Much is said about life and its being  the journey rather than the destination, but today both were really special, and the journey had much to teach us while the destinations never stop inspiring and delighting.