Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Day 4: London

Today was a terrific day. It was our second full day in London. We were able to find a tennis club that would allow non-member, American tourists to play on their grass courts. It is the Civil Service Sporting Grounds (cssc-london.org.uk/chiswick). This is the club where the pros get in shape for the Queens Tournament, which is a grass court tournament in London in preparation for Wimbeldon. This club also hosts the Junior Wimbeldon tournament.

The courts where in terrific shape. Very different from hard courts. The balls stay very low after bouncing and take odd bounces because the ground is not perfectly flat.

Here are a few shots of the boys hitting on grass:



A little sportsmanship...
Family shot at CSSC.
After tennis we ventured into the town next to the club -- a small town called Barnes. Just like the movies. We had lunch at the Sun Inn and got the bus/tube back to our hotel.
After changing, we went to the Holborn tube stop and walked to the Sir John Soane Museum. Soane was the architect of the Bank of England building, as well as many government buildings, in the 18th Century. He was a prolific collector of art, including the sarcophagus of SETI I, an Egyptian ruler considered possibly to be the pharaoh who enslaved the Jews. The limestone sarcophagus had Egyptian pictures inside and out, and was fascinating. Parliament made Soane's home a museum which, to this day, does not charge an entry fee; however, they take donations because his endowment was sapped by reconstructing the home after WWII bombings. The kids tolerated this museum stuff for a few hours before we took a break in a local park.
We decided to try to get tickets to The Mousetrap, at the St. Martin's Theatre. We took the tube to Leicester Squre, grabbed dinner and made the performance. It was a high caliber performance inside of a beautiful theater. The boys speculated avidly about the identity of the killer (sworn to secrecy), and enjoyed themselves.
Here's a picture of April and the boys outside the theater.

We had a little fun on the tube to the hotel. Garrett's chin-up technique is questionable.

Another terrific day. It's clear that you could spend two weeks in London and still only scratch the surface. We have 1 1/2 days more, and then off to Switzerland.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Day 3: London

Day 3 was long but fun. After a late wake-up and planning for the day, Owen wanted authentic fish & chips for lunch. He was clearly happy...

After lunch we took the tube to the Tower of London. The boys enjoyed it because it wasn't just another boring museum. Lots of talk of kings, queens and beheadings. Garrett was particularly fond of the Bloody Tower. A lot of walking, but truly an amazing reminder of England's long history.
A good shot of the Tower of London.

The boys trying on authentic soldiers helmets.

After the Tower, we took the tube to the London Eye and, to our surprise, got on with little difficulty.
At the top of the London Eye.
Seeing London from so high in the air gave us lots of ideas for things to do next.
Westminster Abbey and the clock tower.

Parliament.

We walked across Westminster Bridge in hopes of getting into Westminster Abbey, but it was too late. April hopes to attend evening services at the Abbey this week. The Abbey receives no government funding and relies upon donations, except from those who come to worship -- their admission is free.
Some play time on the Westminster Abbey lawn.

About dinner time, we walked through St. James Park to Trafalgar Square. In honor of Scott Manatt's love for Sherlock Holmes, we had dinner at the Sherlock Holmes Pub.
Garrett did not like his mushy peas...
We headed to Piccadilly Circus for some ice cream. A piece of advice: unless you want to show your children lingerie shops, sensual massage places and night clubs, stick to the main drag when looking for ice cream in Piccadilly. There was a massive celebration in Piccadilly related to some soccer World Cup team. No idea, but it was like the Lakers won the NBA Championship.

Piccadilly Circus.

We got back to the hotel at 11 pm and the kids are looking forward to another day of touring. Tomorrow, we have an appointment to play tennis on genuine grass courts. Hopefully we can find the club...

Day 2: To London

Day 2 was a long but fun day. After the roomy, extra comfortable flight (if only), with Garrett sleeping across our laps on the red eye, we took the tube from Heathrow to our hotel.
Even though we were tired, we took a chance at going to Wimbeldon. We arrived around 5:30 pm, concerned whether we were too late. No problems at all. We "queued" up for grounds passes and made it in. Right away, we lucked into good seats for a quality doubles match among highly ranked players.
Even better, when we were having dinner and watching the giant TV screen of match with Rafael Nadal, a couple handed us two passes into Stadium Court #1, so we each took one boy into
the Nadal match. Very lucky.
On Stadium Court #1, Nadal vs. Mathieu
April and the boys on Centre Court, after the matches.

Maybe they'll be here one day as players.

After a long, long day, we went home and collapsed. That's all for now.
Next step, we'll try to get access for the boys to play on grass courts.






Sunday, June 27, 2010

Day 1: Leaving San Francisco

We left Sacramento today to catch our flight from San Francisco to London and begin our big adventure. Everyone is excited and we hope to play tennis across Europe.

Crossing the Bay Bridge


In the San Fran airport. This pack is pretty heavy...

Garrett, April and Rex, ready to board.
We hope you'll join us for our trip. One day, maybe we'll be taking this trip to Wimbeldon to watch one or both of the boys!
Please leave comments below.