We left Saturday morning, bright and early, headed for Dunkuerque (Mommy, not France again!) to take the ferry over to Dover. Unfortunately, our TomTom went to the big GPS heaven the night before leaving, but the good news was that our in-car GPS got us roughly there, and good signs got us the rest of the way. The ferry ride was slightly over an hour, and the kids enjoyed the very basic play area they had, and kept looking out the windows for dolphins.
We arrived in Dover and had just a short drive to Maidstone, home of Leeds Castle and our hotel. Luckily, the hotel and castle were right off of the highway, as T.J. was a little apprehensive (and rightly so) about driving in England. He navigated beautifully, and Jack slept through the drive, which kept the infighting in the backseat to a minimum. We spent the afternoon at Leeds Castle, which was just beautiful and had lots for the kids to enjoy. We first walked through a duckery that was filled ducklings and black swans and peacocks. There was an orchestra playing on (what looked to be) an inflatable stage, with lots of picnickers. We made our way through the castle, which was quite old -- at least from the 1000s. We learned that William the conqueror once owned the castle and gave it to his half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, France (remember my earlier post about the seeing the tapestry in Bayeux last weekend that Odo commissioned to commemorate William's conquest? It was lived in as recently as the 1960s and was a beautiful, reasonable-sized castle.
They had great play areas for the kids, including a wooden playground that is a replica of the castle. the kids had a blast playing, and we enjoyed wearing them out. We lucked into beautiful weather, although it was a little on the warm side (in the 80s), given that the hotel has no air-conditioning.
We came back to the hotel and enjoyed dinner al fresco and let the kids run around in a big field that is alongside the hotel. Given their exceptionally poor behaviour in restaurants lately, this let us enjoy our meal a little more and didn't force them to keep their seats while they waited for the food to arrive.
The children had a room to themselves, with mattresses on the floor. It took them ages to fall asleep, but once they did, it was fun to see where they ended up through the night. It didn't take Jack much time to roll off and end up sleeping directly on the floor. While Amelia rolled off and slept directly on the floor, but with her head on the mattress.
Sunday, July 27
T.J. woke up super-early, while I was exhausted after a 2-hour span of insomnia earlier in the day. I slept on the couch in the kids' room while he puttered around. Then after breakfast, it was a trip to the local train station to catch a train to London. It was a nice, hour ride that dropped us off at Victoria Station. We purchased a hop-on, hop-off tour bus pass and enjoyed seeing the sights from the double-decker bus. Amelia fell asleep and missed most of it, but it made for a peaceful ride. We got off at Parliament ("Hey, kids, look! Big Ben! Parliament!" -- National Lampoon's European Vacation, and a frequent quote in the Neunreiter household, even though we never went to London). We saw Big Ben and the London Eye (I was chastised for calling it a Ferris Wheel.) The kids are most interested in seeing the "silly guys" (the street "performers" dressed head to toe in shiny paint that don't move until you give them money -- see the picture.)After lunch, we headed toward London Bridge and Tower Bridge, then caught the bus back to Victoria Station.
Items of note: There are more Starbucks in London than rightfully should be (and that's saying a lot coming from me). But still, I had only one. And I didn't get to do an ounce of shopping. But after seeing Oxford Street and some of the other shopping streets, you can bet I'm coming back. Soon. With credit cards.
We made it back to the hotel in time to take the kids swimming, and now we're just relaxing before bed. Tomorrow afternoon, we will return to Dover and get on the ship.
And for those who are keeping score, everyone is roughly healthy. T.J. is still a little tired, but he's mostly recovered. And although I had 2 days of starting to feel achy, my multiple doses of ImmunoShield (product placement) kept the flu at bay, it seems.
Now if we can just avoid NoroVirus!!
Monday, July 28
We checked out of the hotel and headed toward the ship early. We had thought about going to Canterbury for the morning, but ended up opting out of more driving in England that was necessary. We headed for the port and we were luckily able to board early. We also had the smarts to pack our swimming suits in a carry-on bag, so while everyone else was waiting for their luggage, we enjoyed the water slide nearly to ourselves and had an enjoyable lunch. There was quite a breeze on board, but it didn't stop the kids from wanting to be in the pool. Jack's favorite activity is playing "golf" in the practice cages. We spent the better part of the afternoon stalking the sports court area, waiting for one of the cages to free up. Once it did, Jack and I played golf for quite a while. He even "helped" me when I missed the ball, by moving the ball to be more in my reach or by helping me hold the clubs. I think everyone got a kick out of watching him, too.
The kids were very excited to go back to the Kids' Club, and we were happy to hear that one of the kids' favorite counselors from last cruise was on this ship. After dinner, the kids couldn't wait to participate in the club. There are a ton more kids on this cruise than there were on the last, which isn't as fun, but the kids don't seem to mind.
We left port around 4, and we set sail for Copenhagen, to be reached on Wednesday.
Tuesday, July 29
I got up early this morning (though not as early as I THOUGHT I did, as we had a time change forward overnight) and went to the gym (it's so much easier to go to the gym when it's only a floor away than it is when it's a drive away) and then to the spa for a little bit of indulgence. It was really nice, and then T.J. went down for a haircut and a head/neck/shoulder massage. The sea is a little rough today, so we're rocking! a little, but not enough to be bothersome. The kids begged to go to the club, so I laid in the sun/wind and read while they played, which was fantastic. A cruise vacation really has afforded us a lot of relaxation, without feeling guilty about the kids not having fun.
T.J. is playing in a poker tournament today, while I relax in the room while the kids take a nap. We've done the pool for a bit (a little too breezy for our enjoyment), and Jack really wants to play golf again, so I'm sure we'll do that, too.
Tonight starts the face painting at the kids club -- Prince and Princess night -- so I know where the kids will be. T.J. and I are thinking about doing a Wii room, or even just enjoying a peaceful dinner. We'll see. We've really been pleased with NCL and their programs and would highly recommend it.
More Later!
They had great play areas for the kids, including a wooden playground that is a replica of the castle. the kids had a blast playing, and we enjoyed wearing them out. We lucked into beautiful weather, although it was a little on the warm side (in the 80s), given that the hotel has no air-conditioning.
We came back to the hotel and enjoyed dinner al fresco and let the kids run around in a big field that is alongside the hotel. Given their exceptionally poor behaviour in restaurants lately, this let us enjoy our meal a little more and didn't force them to keep their seats while they waited for the food to arrive.
The children had a room to themselves, with mattresses on the floor. It took them ages to fall asleep, but once they did, it was fun to see where they ended up through the night. It didn't take Jack much time to roll off and end up sleeping directly on the floor. While Amelia rolled off and slept directly on the floor, but with her head on the mattress.
Sunday, July 27
T.J. woke up super-early, while I was exhausted after a 2-hour span of insomnia earlier in the day. I slept on the couch in the kids' room while he puttered around. Then after breakfast, it was a trip to the local train station to catch a train to London. It was a nice, hour ride that dropped us off at Victoria Station. We purchased a hop-on, hop-off tour bus pass and enjoyed seeing the sights from the double-decker bus. Amelia fell asleep and missed most of it, but it made for a peaceful ride. We got off at Parliament ("Hey, kids, look! Big Ben! Parliament!" -- National Lampoon's European Vacation, and a frequent quote in the Neunreiter household, even though we never went to London). We saw Big Ben and the London Eye (I was chastised for calling it a Ferris Wheel.) The kids are most interested in seeing the "silly guys" (the street "performers" dressed head to toe in shiny paint that don't move until you give them money -- see the picture.)After lunch, we headed toward London Bridge and Tower Bridge, then caught the bus back to Victoria Station.
Items of note: There are more Starbucks in London than rightfully should be (and that's saying a lot coming from me). But still, I had only one. And I didn't get to do an ounce of shopping. But after seeing Oxford Street and some of the other shopping streets, you can bet I'm coming back. Soon. With credit cards.
We made it back to the hotel in time to take the kids swimming, and now we're just relaxing before bed. Tomorrow afternoon, we will return to Dover and get on the ship.
And for those who are keeping score, everyone is roughly healthy. T.J. is still a little tired, but he's mostly recovered. And although I had 2 days of starting to feel achy, my multiple doses of ImmunoShield (product placement) kept the flu at bay, it seems.
Now if we can just avoid NoroVirus!!
Monday, July 28
We checked out of the hotel and headed toward the ship early. We had thought about going to Canterbury for the morning, but ended up opting out of more driving in England that was necessary. We headed for the port and we were luckily able to board early. We also had the smarts to pack our swimming suits in a carry-on bag, so while everyone else was waiting for their luggage, we enjoyed the water slide nearly to ourselves and had an enjoyable lunch. There was quite a breeze on board, but it didn't stop the kids from wanting to be in the pool. Jack's favorite activity is playing "golf" in the practice cages. We spent the better part of the afternoon stalking the sports court area, waiting for one of the cages to free up. Once it did, Jack and I played golf for quite a while. He even "helped" me when I missed the ball, by moving the ball to be more in my reach or by helping me hold the clubs. I think everyone got a kick out of watching him, too.
The kids were very excited to go back to the Kids' Club, and we were happy to hear that one of the kids' favorite counselors from last cruise was on this ship. After dinner, the kids couldn't wait to participate in the club. There are a ton more kids on this cruise than there were on the last, which isn't as fun, but the kids don't seem to mind.
We left port around 4, and we set sail for Copenhagen, to be reached on Wednesday.
Tuesday, July 29
I got up early this morning (though not as early as I THOUGHT I did, as we had a time change forward overnight) and went to the gym (it's so much easier to go to the gym when it's only a floor away than it is when it's a drive away) and then to the spa for a little bit of indulgence. It was really nice, and then T.J. went down for a haircut and a head/neck/shoulder massage. The sea is a little rough today, so we're rocking! a little, but not enough to be bothersome. The kids begged to go to the club, so I laid in the sun/wind and read while they played, which was fantastic. A cruise vacation really has afforded us a lot of relaxation, without feeling guilty about the kids not having fun.
T.J. is playing in a poker tournament today, while I relax in the room while the kids take a nap. We've done the pool for a bit (a little too breezy for our enjoyment), and Jack really wants to play golf again, so I'm sure we'll do that, too.
Tonight starts the face painting at the kids club -- Prince and Princess night -- so I know where the kids will be. T.J. and I are thinking about doing a Wii room, or even just enjoying a peaceful dinner. We'll see. We've really been pleased with NCL and their programs and would highly recommend it.
More Later!
1 comment:
Thanks for the great update. Glad everyone is reasonably healthy. Our first cruise was on NCL and it is a nice line. I'll look for a Our Baltic Cruise - the Middle Days - soon. Sorry that Tom Tom has gone to GPS heaven but he/she has served you well. Hope you had fun in the Wii room. Love, Mom
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