... we're still in the departure gate with a crowd outside, fifteen before we're due to take off. So I figure we'll be at least twenty late from here, but that doesn't mean much for the arrival time in Helsinki. Fingers crossed....
- Bret
Friday, 26 September 2014
day six - that's all, folks!
... and that's it, we're on our way home. I'm writing this from gate at Gatwick Airport.
Today's excursion to Thorpe Park was awesome. The children had a blast and the adults got a little downtime, which was very much appreciated. There's really not much to say about it, to be honest.
Today was also the first day where we really didn't have any major traffic issues, and if anything, we were at Gatwick a little too early. Having said that, the praise for the behaviour of the children has been unanimous, unstinting and from a wide selection of independent observers.
"This lot are really well-behaved"; "you are a credit to yourselves" "these are really well-behaved" are just three quotes from today.
I think you should be proud, as should the children. There have been no major issues whatsoever, they have been without fail where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there, and have accepted uncomplainingly serious delays during the week. The lateness thing: at Thorpe Park, we'd arranged to meet and two minutes beforehand, the children were running to be on time! The strongest reminders all week have been for them to remember their seat belts in the bus...
Looking forward to the first cold beer in a week when I'm home in a few hours!
I'll be adding pictures when I've processed a couple; I have shots of several people on the rides at the park, but I'm not sure how much of that you really want to see!
At this point, I'd also like to extend our thanks to those who have enabled this trip to happen in the first place. Heather - you're a star! Thank you very much for your tireless commentary on our destinations and perennial good humour, despite our many, many issues with traffic delaying us.
Gordon and Keith - thanks for putting up with the inane beeps and general high-pitched chatter from the back of the bus.
The families and the rest of the putting-up organisation in Abingdon: I have heard nothing but good feedback about host families, and lots of thoughts on how things are different here, which is a very good thing. Thank you.
Then there's the other parents; Anne and Eeva - this has run so smoothly also because we've taken time out to do this. And I hope you've enjoyed visiting the land of my birth!
Additional gratitude should also be extended to Pekka and Pauliina for driving this over so many months and enabling it to take place at all. Thanks!
Signing off,
- Bret
Today's excursion to Thorpe Park was awesome. The children had a blast and the adults got a little downtime, which was very much appreciated. There's really not much to say about it, to be honest.
Today was also the first day where we really didn't have any major traffic issues, and if anything, we were at Gatwick a little too early. Having said that, the praise for the behaviour of the children has been unanimous, unstinting and from a wide selection of independent observers.
"This lot are really well-behaved"; "you are a credit to yourselves" "these are really well-behaved" are just three quotes from today.
I think you should be proud, as should the children. There have been no major issues whatsoever, they have been without fail where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there, and have accepted uncomplainingly serious delays during the week. The lateness thing: at Thorpe Park, we'd arranged to meet and two minutes beforehand, the children were running to be on time! The strongest reminders all week have been for them to remember their seat belts in the bus...
Looking forward to the first cold beer in a week when I'm home in a few hours!
I'll be adding pictures when I've processed a couple; I have shots of several people on the rides at the park, but I'm not sure how much of that you really want to see!
At this point, I'd also like to extend our thanks to those who have enabled this trip to happen in the first place. Heather - you're a star! Thank you very much for your tireless commentary on our destinations and perennial good humour, despite our many, many issues with traffic delaying us.
Gordon and Keith - thanks for putting up with the inane beeps and general high-pitched chatter from the back of the bus.
The families and the rest of the putting-up organisation in Abingdon: I have heard nothing but good feedback about host families, and lots of thoughts on how things are different here, which is a very good thing. Thank you.
Then there's the other parents; Anne and Eeva - this has run so smoothly also because we've taken time out to do this. And I hope you've enjoyed visiting the land of my birth!
Additional gratitude should also be extended to Pekka and Pauliina for driving this over so many months and enabling it to take place at all. Thanks!
Signing off,
- Bret
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Day Five: Warwick Castle and Oxford
...and another day is done!
This time we were at Warwick Castle and in Oxford. The morning was accompanied with our usual traffic issues, but we were on time at Warwick. The Castle is in places nearly a thousand years old; the Mound, the oldest part, has buildings dating from the 1200s. After going through the Kingmaker exhibit - which describes the life of the time - we went to the Grand Hall, which shows some of the weaponry of that era. The whole castle is set to the period where the War of the Roses was not yet over and York had declared himself King in London. The Trebuchet was an important part of the battle weaponry of the time and the demonstration is no less effective for its lack of modernity!
After lunch, we walked back to the ramparts for a group picture, and then on to the falconry display area. The display was narrated excellently by the local falconer, and the birds were truly magnificent.
After this, we followed the M40 back to Oxford, where we were met outside Christ Church College by our guide.
The system was explained to us and we were shown around the college,
its Cathedral
and through the library. Then came the opportunity many had been waiting for: shopping! Always in groups of at least two, the kids were given free reign. I saw many of them through the hour or so, ambling through the shopping centre, looking for bargains.
Then we had a short trip back to Abingdon and preparations for departure were started. So tomorrow it's back to the drop-off point and onto the coach, hopefully with all luggage... and then Thorpe Park. Our flight leaves at 1840 local, we'll be back in Lahti probably around 0100 Helsinki time (we're due in at 2330 local).
Please note: the children are *not* expected to take part in the Saturday school!
- Bret
PS: Pictures will follow; I didn't have time to edit the post on the bus, and some are still processing, so I'll update hopefully before we get on the plane ;-)
Update at 0105 EEST: Update done. Tomorrow? Let's see. - Bret
This time we were at Warwick Castle and in Oxford. The morning was accompanied with our usual traffic issues, but we were on time at Warwick. The Castle is in places nearly a thousand years old; the Mound, the oldest part, has buildings dating from the 1200s. After going through the Kingmaker exhibit - which describes the life of the time - we went to the Grand Hall, which shows some of the weaponry of that era. The whole castle is set to the period where the War of the Roses was not yet over and York had declared himself King in London. The Trebuchet was an important part of the battle weaponry of the time and the demonstration is no less effective for its lack of modernity!
After lunch, we walked back to the ramparts for a group picture, and then on to the falconry display area. The display was narrated excellently by the local falconer, and the birds were truly magnificent.
After this, we followed the M40 back to Oxford, where we were met outside Christ Church College by our guide.
The system was explained to us and we were shown around the college,
its Cathedral
and through the library. Then came the opportunity many had been waiting for: shopping! Always in groups of at least two, the kids were given free reign. I saw many of them through the hour or so, ambling through the shopping centre, looking for bargains.
Then we had a short trip back to Abingdon and preparations for departure were started. So tomorrow it's back to the drop-off point and onto the coach, hopefully with all luggage... and then Thorpe Park. Our flight leaves at 1840 local, we'll be back in Lahti probably around 0100 Helsinki time (we're due in at 2330 local).
Please note: the children are *not* expected to take part in the Saturday school!
- Bret
Update at 0105 EEST: Update done. Tomorrow? Let's see. - Bret
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Day four: London - the British Museum and "Matilda"
.... and day four is nearly over. Well, apart from the traffic, which seems to be following us around.... that's delaying our travel home, as usual. We've been dealing with traffic all trip!
Anyway, today we also experienced the effect of a minor incident on the way into London; the road we'd chosen to take us to the Motorway was closed by an accident, so the bus had to turn around (always an experience in a narrow two-way road!) and take another route. We arrived in London without too much time left over for the British Museum, but that which we saw was seriously awesome. A huge building with extensive galleries across many floors, even a day wouldn't do it justice.
After this, we walked through the west end to our lunch stop, the Pizza Hut on the Strand; after eating our fill of pizza and salad, we headed towards the theater for our show.
Matilda was originally written by Roald Dahl and tells the story of Matilda, our protagonist. We just have a picture of the stage setup, because photography was forbidden:
The show is seriously good. They use effects, light, smoke, cannon, lasers, lots of dance and the whole thing was really nicely done. Excellent execution, where you don't need to know the story to really enjoy the skills, music and show. Highly recommended.
Tomorrow is a little different; we're back off up north, this was our last trip in to London. Tomorrow is Warwick Castle, followed by Oxford and then the day after tomorrow, we're already on our way back home! Tomorrow is full of more recent history than the Egyptian we saw today!
Pictures to follow, posting this from the bus on the A4, Western Avenue...
Update @ 23:59 EEST
Pictures, as promised: first up, the British Museum from the outside, the back entrance
And the set of Matilda from inside:
- Bret
Anyway, today we also experienced the effect of a minor incident on the way into London; the road we'd chosen to take us to the Motorway was closed by an accident, so the bus had to turn around (always an experience in a narrow two-way road!) and take another route. We arrived in London without too much time left over for the British Museum, but that which we saw was seriously awesome. A huge building with extensive galleries across many floors, even a day wouldn't do it justice.
After this, we walked through the west end to our lunch stop, the Pizza Hut on the Strand; after eating our fill of pizza and salad, we headed towards the theater for our show.
Matilda was originally written by Roald Dahl and tells the story of Matilda, our protagonist. We just have a picture of the stage setup, because photography was forbidden:
The show is seriously good. They use effects, light, smoke, cannon, lasers, lots of dance and the whole thing was really nicely done. Excellent execution, where you don't need to know the story to really enjoy the skills, music and show. Highly recommended.
Tomorrow is a little different; we're back off up north, this was our last trip in to London. Tomorrow is Warwick Castle, followed by Oxford and then the day after tomorrow, we're already on our way back home! Tomorrow is full of more recent history than the Egyptian we saw today!
Pictures to follow, posting this from the bus on the A4, Western Avenue...
Update @ 23:59 EEST
Pictures, as promised: first up, the British Museum from the outside, the back entrance
then a group shot from Matilda:
And the set of Matilda from inside:
- Bret
Postcard from Abingdon
.. a picture postcard or two from our walk yesterday evening:
The lower one of those is the Thames.
- Bret
- Bret
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Day three: Black Country Living Museum
Day three is now rapidly drawing to a close.... and what a day it's been!
Everyone made it to the correct bus stops on time and the children all appeared to have slept well and enjoyed their evening.
Minimal traffic on the way up north didn't detract from the fact that the Black Country Living Museum is a massive open-air demonstration of how life was and could have been back in the 1850s or so. This means an excursion to a coal mine, a trip on a 1960s double-decker,
watching the chain-maker at work
and inspecting the parlour of a typical back-to-back terraced house. We also did some old-style playing in the street, with hoops and sticks, ball-and-cups and skipping.
Intense doesn't begin to describe the coal mine experience, with complete and utter darkness enveloping us and a disembodied voice telling us about the reality of life at that time down the mines. We also took a narrowboat trip down a tunnel to see the reality of limestone mining in the Black Country region. Two of the boys also helped "leg" the boat down the tunnel, pushing it from the side!
After a lunch of traditional fish and chips - which were really rather good - we also visited a schoolroom with an old-fashioned school master, inspecting hands and repeating timetables, with the children practicing writing on slate tablets!
We checked out the pharmacy and heard about medicinal uses of plants, saw the hardware store and sampled the wares at the sweet ship, unsurprisingly.
I suspect that those children who spend more time at an old-style Finnish summer cottage aren't quite so scared of the dark and can put a value on running water, but still, the reality of how hard life was at that time wasn't completely lost.
Tomorrow we're back in London, going even further back in time at the British Museum; we'll also then be off to our musical - Matilda - in the afternoon before a later return to Abingdon.
Pictures will follow after we've actually got home - this is being written on the bus on the M40 @ 70 mph!
Updated at 21:49 UTC: pictures added. Enjoy!
- Bret
Everyone made it to the correct bus stops on time and the children all appeared to have slept well and enjoyed their evening.
Minimal traffic on the way up north didn't detract from the fact that the Black Country Living Museum is a massive open-air demonstration of how life was and could have been back in the 1850s or so. This means an excursion to a coal mine, a trip on a 1960s double-decker,
watching the chain-maker at work
and inspecting the parlour of a typical back-to-back terraced house. We also did some old-style playing in the street, with hoops and sticks, ball-and-cups and skipping.
Intense doesn't begin to describe the coal mine experience, with complete and utter darkness enveloping us and a disembodied voice telling us about the reality of life at that time down the mines. We also took a narrowboat trip down a tunnel to see the reality of limestone mining in the Black Country region. Two of the boys also helped "leg" the boat down the tunnel, pushing it from the side!
After a lunch of traditional fish and chips - which were really rather good - we also visited a schoolroom with an old-fashioned school master, inspecting hands and repeating timetables, with the children practicing writing on slate tablets!
Ringing the dismissal bell, below:
We checked out the pharmacy and heard about medicinal uses of plants, saw the hardware store and sampled the wares at the sweet ship, unsurprisingly.
I suspect that those children who spend more time at an old-style Finnish summer cottage aren't quite so scared of the dark and can put a value on running water, but still, the reality of how hard life was at that time wasn't completely lost.
Tomorrow we're back in London, going even further back in time at the British Museum; we'll also then be off to our musical - Matilda - in the afternoon before a later return to Abingdon.
Updated at 21:49 UTC: pictures added. Enjoy!
- Bret
Monday, 22 September 2014
Day 2 - we go back to London
So, day two... or the first real, full day.
We've been back in London today, checking out some of the more interesting bits. First up, there was the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
This was really busy, but if nothing else we got a feel for the pomp and ceremony involved, not to mention the sheer interest in the royal family.
After enjoying the first of our packed lunches on a sunny lawn, we proceeded back to the coach, to be given a tour of some of London's sights. These included the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
We also drove down Whitehall, passing Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister and Trafalgar Square.
This brought us to our next destination, the Science Museum.
Someone called it "like Heureka". I beg to differ; Heureka is a completely different size class. We were there for three hours and barely scratched the surface. Amazing.
Returning to Abingdon was plagued by traffic, as was the morning journey; still, the children all apparently had no issues with their hosts or finding their way to the bus stop almost on time...
Tomorrow, it's the Black Country museum near Birmingham (so going north) before returning to London on Wednesday.
- Bret
We've been back in London today, checking out some of the more interesting bits. First up, there was the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
This was really busy, but if nothing else we got a feel for the pomp and ceremony involved, not to mention the sheer interest in the royal family.
After enjoying the first of our packed lunches on a sunny lawn, we proceeded back to the coach, to be given a tour of some of London's sights. These included the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
We also drove down Whitehall, passing Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister and Trafalgar Square.
This brought us to our next destination, the Science Museum.
Someone called it "like Heureka". I beg to differ; Heureka is a completely different size class. We were there for three hours and barely scratched the surface. Amazing.
Returning to Abingdon was plagued by traffic, as was the morning journey; still, the children all apparently had no issues with their hosts or finding their way to the bus stop almost on time...
Tomorrow, it's the Black Country museum near Birmingham (so going north) before returning to London on Wednesday.
- Bret
Sunday, 21 September 2014
First real post - London at last!
Hello!
First post for real. After a really early start, everyone was alive and awake such that we were all waiting for the bus at around 0520... bus arrived, suitcases were loaded and then people. We were at the airport in plenty of time and after all the paperwork and security, we were invited to board the plane earlier than expected! Click to embiggen the picture:
An uneventful flight and mildly bumpy landing later, the next test came in the form of the passport control queues at Gatwick. These took longer than anticipated and the traffic on our way into London was truly awful. Helsinki has nothing to offer on this level, thank goodness!
Arrival at our lunch location was therefore a little late, but the mood was really helped by the excursion over London and Tower bridges.
After said lunch outside the Tate modern, we walked along the South Bank to the London Eye, a truly "wow!" experience for all. Click to embiggen, again:
Traffic out of London was again truly terrible, but we made it to Abingdon as approximately promised and all - very tired - children have been dispatched to their host families.
- Bret
PS: Some of you may have noticed there is a twitter feed in the right-hand column; that contains my Tweets (@BretPulkkaStone). Sometimes it's much easier to tweet than write a complete blogpost, especially on the road, and that's why it's there!
First post for real. After a really early start, everyone was alive and awake such that we were all waiting for the bus at around 0520... bus arrived, suitcases were loaded and then people. We were at the airport in plenty of time and after all the paperwork and security, we were invited to board the plane earlier than expected! Click to embiggen the picture:
An uneventful flight and mildly bumpy landing later, the next test came in the form of the passport control queues at Gatwick. These took longer than anticipated and the traffic on our way into London was truly awful. Helsinki has nothing to offer on this level, thank goodness!
Arrival at our lunch location was therefore a little late, but the mood was really helped by the excursion over London and Tower bridges.
After said lunch outside the Tate modern, we walked along the South Bank to the London Eye, a truly "wow!" experience for all. Click to embiggen, again:
Traffic out of London was again truly terrible, but we made it to Abingdon as approximately promised and all - very tired - children have been dispatched to their host families.
- Bret
PS: Some of you may have noticed there is a twitter feed in the right-hand column; that contains my Tweets (@BretPulkkaStone). Sometimes it's much easier to tweet than write a complete blogpost, especially on the road, and that's why it's there!
Saturday, 20 September 2014
Weather links
A link to the weather forecast for Abingdon from the BBC: http://www.bbc.com/weather/2657780
From Foreca: http://www.foreca.fi/United_Kingdom/Oxford
- Bret
From Foreca: http://www.foreca.fi/United_Kingdom/Oxford
- Bret
Are we there yet?
See, that's the question. And the answer is "NO!". But in 24 hours, it will look slightly different....
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