Amanda likes games.
How about we combine sightseeing with finding every monopoly stop?
Sounds easy.
Sounds fun?
Shirts with the preferred tokens were made.
Routes were planned.
London to the left one day.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Hint Hunt
Amanda likes puzzles.
We all like puzzles.
Number one thing to do in London came up as Hint Hunt.
Had no idea what to expect but it sounded like a good team building exercise to start the UK part of our travels.
Might makes us, might break us.
The Hint Hunt Headquarters just happened to be a short walk from the St Pancras YH.
A meander down the road (avoiding the crazy French guy) landed us at a scrappy, modestly signed door. Too early. They are locked inside. Come back later.
The kids were puzzled, so were we. No answers forthcoming about the nature of the activity rated number one on trip advisor.
The appointed time arrived and so did we.
The instructions were clear. Don't break doors, don't break walls, don't break ceilings. Go to the toilet first. You will only get out of the room by solving the puzzles.
You have an hour.
The clock on the screen started.
We are all pretty good at puzzles.
Between us we are pretty okay at most things.
The timer counted down on the screen in the Zen room. The frantic searching was anything but Zen.
We worked alone, we worked in pairs, we worked in different pairs, we worked together, we pooled and followed. Everything meant something, a clue or a decoration or a red herring.
The counter counted, the music crescendoed, we worked frantically.....nearly there......nearly there....nearly there...
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Retracing the steps
We repeated the activities - minus the Louvre - this time with the travelling panda duo.
The rain that was forecast filed to arrive, the clouds providing just enough cover to make the day really pleasant.
Past the Louvre
Past the beggars
Through the Tuileries (but not past the crepe)
Cleopatra's Needle
The shops
The arch
The tower
The nougat
The river
The ring scam
The church
The tarts
Add the cup
Police en masse
Crowds...
Us overshooting the mark
Retrace
Collapse and ache
Sirens and shouting! The French have scored.
We can hear them down the road.
Again they score
We hear them from the church
Monday, June 30, 2014
Riches
The troopers were valiant.
Wonder was the word
A long time in the plane.
Darkness, food, fidgeting and sort of dozing.
Twelve hours.
First class looked pretty good.
Walking looked good.
Paris looked really good when we got there!
Stage set toilets
Smorgasbord of colours and cultures
Fish on the floor
Music on the train
"Romany Rats"
A good look at the back streets
A sunset in Paris.
two left toe bandages, identical, different people, different places
Fish on the floor, a kaleidoscope of carp and Nemos and rays - art on the floor - at the baggage carousel. The only ones floundering?
Children stomping on said fish.
The guy tripping over my suitcase, vaulting through the gate behind me at the train station,
Romanesque churches.
Sunset over the roof line from the room.
The accordion music on the train.
Statues in parks.
Hundreds of years of history.
Riches
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Parentals and Panda
Out 3am start was made much nicer by the limo arriving at the door to take us to the airport. Thanks Amanda! No traffic, no problems.
Patrick and Amanda, Richard and me.
Three weeks.
Surprise was the word of the day...and mostly good..and definitely interesting.
No. 1 the limo
No. 2 the body scan and search
No. 3 powdered kangaroo, squalene and giant Toblerones at the airport as tokens of Australiana
No. 4 the way Patrick and Amanda were so excited but looked like they had done this a thousand times
No. 5 how you can get so tired sitting for 12 hours
No. 6 how much I love Korea
No. 7 how easily we adapted to the 5 star hotel and constant service and lovely breakfast and..and..and
Korea, Paris! England , Wales, Scotland, Ireland then Korea again.
A repeat of an earlier jaunt, made very special this time with the travelling panda.
Korea is familiar now.
Alex and Seung Hwa are just down the road! a mere two hours away. See you in three weeks kids!
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