London Calling

Last July we decided to visit London with the kids.  They are both big fans of Doctor Who, Sherlock, & Harry Potter; and I am absolutely fascinated by Downton Abby & all things Royal.  So a trip to London was something we were all excited about!  

And our timing couldn't have been better because the world was awaiting the birth of Prince George.  All of London was on Baby Watch while we were there.  Our hotel was just down the road from St. Mary's Hospital where he was born, and crowds were already camping outside waiting for the birth.  We missed being there for the birth by 3 days!  But I did come home with a souvenir mug.

One of the best things we did in London was hire a private tour guide to show us around the first day.  We used the company British Tours  http://www.britishtours.com and loved the whole experience.  Our tour guide picked us up in a private car at our hotel, Hilton London Metropole, at 9:00am.  He took us to see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament & the Tower of London.

   

Our guide also took us down to one of the tube stations and showed us how to use the London Underground system.  Being from Texas, that was a new experience for the kids. They loved riding the tube, and quickly became experts at reading the underground map and figuring out which line to ride and where to make our transfers.  The phrase "Please mind the gap" soon became part of their daily banter.

 

We quickly found a favorite restaurant in London, The Dickens Inn.  Our tour guide actually recommended it to us and he was spot on.  It's located at the docks near the Tower of London in a beautiful 18th century, 3-story building. The bottom floor is a tavern, the second floor houses a pizzeria and the top floor is the grill.  We ate fish-n-chips and burgers in the grill.

We even found a little taste of home in Victoria Station and my son would not leave without his $15/dozen glazed donuts. (The exchange rate was NOT in our favor!)

Throughout the week, we visited several palaces, including Buckingham Palace where Queen Elizabeth lives and Hampton Court Palace, home of King Henry VIII.  

Hampton Court was lots of fun to tour and see what life was like in the 16th century.  But our favorite part of the tour there was the garden maze.  I was like a lost rat wandering through the maze, but the kids quickly figured out how to find the center.

After a few days of touring old palaces, my son asked if we could go see "something from this century".  So off we went to Warner Bros. Studios for the Harry Potter Tour.  We had made reservations for the tour months in advance since it had only opened recently and tours were quickly selling out.  The kids were absolutely entranced to walk through the Great Hall and see all the sets used to film the popular movie series.  And even though I've never read the books or seen the movies, I also found it quite an entertaining afternoon.

And, of course, our trip to London would not be complete without a little shopping. We hit Bond Street, Regents Street, Hamley's Toy Store, Harrod's Department store and more...

One afternoon, we even had the chance to go visit some friends in nearby Watford for a Texas-style BBQ. My son loves BBQ ribs in England as much as he does in Texas!

My daughter's one request while in London was to go to the theater and see a play.  So one afternoon we were able to get matinee tickets to go see Wicked.

Even though we were there for about 10 days, we didn't even begin to see everything we wanted to.  Nor did we get to ride the London Eye...the line was too long the night we were there. So I'm sure we'll be back soon.

Full English Tea

Wow, it's been awhile since my last post and I don't know where to start!  We've been busy the last year and have visited many great places.

This past Spring we found a neat little gem right here in Austin when helping my son with his "Texas Cultures" project for school.  His assignment was to research how English settlers influenced Texas culture.  So we visited a restaurant called FULL ENGLISH (http://www.fullenglishfood.com/) in South Austin where we enjoyed a proper British High Tea.

This hole in the wall is apparently very popular.  We had a hard time finding a place to park and it was quite crowded inside.

If you plan to go for Tea, reservations are required.  But feel free to stop by any time they're open for All-Day Breakfast or Friday Night Fish-n-Chips.  You can order the Big British Breakfast for $12 and pretend you're in jolly old England for a bit.  The breakfast includes "two bangers, two rashers British bacon, two fried farm eggs, pan-friend mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, & fried bread". And if you want all the above PLUS the traditional British Baked Beans for breakfast, then order the Full Monty!

But we were there for the High Tea...this time.  The menu for High Tea ($15/adult) included:

A pot of tea of your choice

Tea Sandwiches:
Cheddar cheese with house-made chutney,
Ham and mustard, Cucumber vinaigrette

Raisin Scones with Jam and Cream

and a selection of different cakes and biscuits (cookies)

What you see in the pictures above was service for 4 people.  It was delicious and very filling.  The scones were my favorite!  Ohhh that cream .....  And the cheese sandwich with chutney was an interesting combination that we'd never had before, but will definitely eat again.

I remembered to raise my pinky!

It was all delicious and we did our best to leave no crumbs behind!

We thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a taste of English Culture here in Texas.  And my son earned an A grade on his project!

Stay tuned for another blog exploring English culuture when I tell you about our summer vacation to London. Yep folks, the Griswolds, I mean the Bairds crossed the pond and what a trip it was!!

Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, TX

http://www.cameronparkzoo.com/

We love to visit this zoo in Waco.  Most recently, I chaperoned the 5th grade field trip to "The Waco Zoo".  It's fun for all ages.  In fact, the day we visited there were school groups ranging in age from Kindergarten to Senior Class Trips. 

I think one reason we like this zoo so much is because it's not HUGE like some of the zoos in bigger cities.  You can easily walk the shady loop in just a few hours and still see the Big 3 -- lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!  There's also elephants and giraffes. Plus my favorite ... the snake house!

And about half way around the loop, there is a great place to stop and take a break. This zoo has playground and splash pad for the kids. So make sure they wear swimsuits under their clothes so they can cool off in the summer heat!

And before you leave, stop in the gift shop to check out their cool tshirts.  My son, who is a Beatles fan just had to have this one . . .

There's also a snack bar by the entrance where we always stop for popsicles before we leave. Overall, this zoo is a great place to take the family the next time you're in or near Waco.

Big Lou's -- Home of the GIANT Pizza

http://biglouspizzaonline.com/

For my 42nd birthday, I decided to celebrate BIG by ordering the famous 42" pizza from Big Lou's!

This San Antonio pizzeria has been in business since 2000, but they became famous after their giant pizza was featured on an episode of "Man vs Food" a few years ago.
http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/man-v-food/photos/san-antonio

I knew there was no way I could eat this mega-pizza all by myself, so I took my entire family with me to celebrate my birthday and see if they could help me finish off the 3-1/2 ft. pizza.  Hmmm .... what do you think?  Did we eat it all?

Going to Big Lou's is an 'experience' for which you need to plan ahead. It has become quite a tourist destination and on weekends you can expect to wait an hour or more for your pizza.

When you first arrive, you stand in line to place your order and pay. Then you wait either in the waiting room or on the outside patio for your table to be ready. We grabbed a few sodas from the bar and then decided to wait outside with all the kids since there were picnic tables on the patio.

When your name is finally called, your party is led to a table in the main dining room.  From that point, it was only about 15 minutes until our mega pizza was delivered!

This was the biggest pizza any of us had ever seen.  It was definitely a WOW moment to see it being carried out by two servers from the kitchen.  The slices on this giant pie were as big as a small child!

And even though we tried our very best that day to eat the entire 42" pizza, we were a few slices short of our goal.  So next time, we'll have to invite a few extra friends to join us!

Embassy Suites San Antonio Riverwalk

If you're looking for a hotel on the San Antonio Riverwalk, especially if you're traveling with children, I highly recommend the Embassy Suites. This hotel is located on the banks of the Riverwalk in the heart of downtown San Antonio. And since it's only been open since 2010, it still feels brand new.

It is not, however, located on the main riverwalk, but on the newer section.  So while it may not be in the middle of all the riverwalk action, it is still a great hotel for price and the space.  And when you throw in the complimentary hot breakfast and evening reception ... it really is a bargain!

We are partial to Embassy Suites whenever we travel with the kids because of the extra space in their all-suite rooms.  It's nice to be able to spread out in the separate rooms and relax without tripping over luggage and people.  So when we found out there was a new one on the Riverwalk, we had to try it out.  HINT -- when reserving a room at any Embassy Suites, always request a corner room.  While all the suites are nice and roomy, the corner suites are extra large.  Your request may not be granted if you're visiting during a busy weekend or holiday, but it's worth asking! 

Fortunately, our request was honored on a recent weekend trip to the Riverwalk.  Our corner suite could have easily accommodated more than the four of us.  It had a huge living room with a sleeper sofa, as well as a dining table and wet bar.

And the separate bedroom had two queen beds, a dresser with large drawers for storage and a walk in closet with floor to ceiling mirrors.

The extra large bathroom was very nice with a tile floor, granite counter tops, and a tub and shower.

In addition to the large rooms, we also love the complimentary breakfast and evening reception that the Embassy Suites are known for.  In addition to traditional breakfast buffet items, you also get made-to-order omelets. 

Being a new hotel, this particular Embassy Suites had a very nice, large dining area where the evening receptions and breakfast buffets are held.

Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center

Port Aransas, TX

Everyone knows about the beach and the great fishing in Port Aransas. But have you visited the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center?  This little nature center is a great place to visit early in the day before you head to the beach.

Walking along the raised boardwalk through the marshy wetlands
will give you an upclose view of birds, turtles, and fish.

And if you're really lucky -- you might see an alligator!

About halfway down the boardwalk you'll find an observation tower. 

The kids love climbing to the top for a panoramic view of the wetlands. 

There's even a free viewing scope at the top of the tower
that lets you zoom in on the surrounding wildlife.

As mentioned earlier, there are two resident alligators in the pond that are named Boots and Bags. But catching a glimpse of them is a rare treat. We lucked out on our second visit to the Birding Center and finally saw one come up for air!  That was definitely the highlight of the trip for us.

So the next time you're in Port Aransas go check out the Birding Center, preferably early in the morning before it gets too hot. We like to rent an electric buggy to drive over there.

And on the way back, stop by the Robert Points Park near the ferry landing and watch the ships come through the channel.  You'll probably even see dolphins swimming in their wakes.

This park also has a great playground for the kids.