We're in Oz but not clicking our heels

Where to begin? I’ll spare you most of the US to Australia transport details, but I do feel the need to share a couple of items. First, Emma is a ROCK STAR traveler. The trip from San Francisco to Sydney takes 14 hours & 40 minutes. Keep in mind that because we live in Oklahoma we’d already been on two shorter flights before arriving in CA. Emma was asleep before takeoff in San Fran & slept until we had only six hours left in the flight. Then she read, colored Pistol Pete and did some Mad Libs (thanks Ellen!) worked in her Brain Quest workbook, and drew for a bit until it was finally light enough to see out the window. I really felt for the parents whose children are non-readers because United’s In-Flight Entertainment System was less than family-friendly. We did not have in-seat monitors so the films were viewed by everyone and out of almost twelve-hours of entertainment there were maybe two hours of shows I would have let Emma watch. Fortunately she’s a kid very familiar with what is acceptable to us and never even asked. Furthermore, she never even watched anything on the IPOD! Yep, you read it here: “Seven-year-old leaves Oklahoma at 4:48pm on Saturday and arrives in Sydney, Australia at 6:20am on Monday . . . without any TV or internet time!” The second moment of transport I feel the need to share is that on this flight I experienced my worst bout with turbulence EVER. Keep in mind that I grew up flying in small planes flown by my dad, uncle and grandfather. With four hours to go in our flight, we hit air pockets so deep that even though we were holding on to our cups of water I got completely soaked. Those of you who don’t know me well should be told that I change my socks if I step on a piece of ice in the kitchen floor. UGH! I was almost dry by the time we landed and fortunately no longer looked as if I’d wet myself when we walked off the plane.

Immigration and customs proved to be an easy process, though not for everyone. Wade pointed out to Emma that packing light was a big benefit for us as several families with multiple pieces of luggage were being sent through x-ray lines or hand searched. We each packed in a carry-on sized bag, though we checked them to avoid dragging them through multiple airports. Each of us is also carrying a small backpack with our current reading books, journals, gum, etc. The customs agent took one look at us and sent us around the search lines. Woohoo!

It was approximately 7:30am Monday morning when we arrived at our hotel. Since we’d crossed the international date line Sunday simply did not exist for us. Wade’s Holiday Inn Platinum Status proved quite useful as we were allowed to check-in to our room at that time and get some much needed showers. Once we felt quasi-human again we decided to go exploring. Our mode of transport for the day? Monorail. Wade wrote to Emma that night in his journal, “I think Mommy was even more excited about this than you were!” He’s probably right. Darling Harbour, the suburb of Sydney where we’re staying, is currently having a Monorail Treasure Hunt, which Emma really enjoyed. We hopped off at the Darling Park Station, next to the Sydney Aquarium. Highlights there included: seeing Perry (for those of you who don’t watch Phinneaus & Ferb, that’s a platypus), observing a fairy penguin feeding, viewing dugongs – only five exist in captivity globally, and touring the shark tank in a glass-bottomed boat. We were so proud of Emma’s interaction with the marine biologist who led the tour. She asked some great questions and listened carefully to the answers. Our visit to the aquarium was split by a lunch break which we spent at Nick’s Seafood Restaurant at Cockle Bay Wharf. Since we spent most of our year landlocked, all three of us get pretty darn excited about fresh seafood. Calamari, crab ravioli, & grilled shrimp were all found on our table but not for long!! We returned to our neighborhood by monorail and were all in bed by 5:30pm.

Tuesday morning during breakfast we found a bird with which we were fascinated. Later, riding the mini-train to Darling Park we asked some Aussie’s what it was. “Oh, that’s a dirty bird! The Ibis. If you’re eating a sandwhich it will walk right up to you and steal it. They’re pests. Always digging around in rubbish bins.” Still, we were amazed by its beak and will definitely post a photo. Tuesday lunch was take-away seafood from Ice Cube on the wharf. I refused to share with the seagulls, but after we were all finished allowed Emma to feed one we’d dubbed “hop-along” as it only had one foot. She really enjoyed tossing bits into the air for the bird to fly up and catch in its mouth. This was the first of many creature encounters she’d have that day as our next stop was Sydney Wildlife World. Just inside the door we were petting a Rainbow Stag Beetle and enormous stick insects. Later in the day we pet a Koala named Marly and Emma was allowed inside the Kangaroo habitat for a bit. While there we learned that they feed the Kangaroo pellets made of grasses and vitamins; sometimes they toss in carrots for teeth cleanings. Years and years ago they introduced natural vegetation that was gobbled up in minutes, so they developed plan B. Only males are housed at the facility to minimize fighting. And, when they do fight they can stand on their tails and use all four feet to box. They can run at speeds up to 60K an hour and jump over two meters high and ten meters long. When our visit to Wildlife World came to a close, we walked back to our hotel. Yes, it’s within walking distance, but we really wanted to try out all those cool modes of public transport earlier. Lest you think all our meals are as glamourous as Nick’s, dinner found us in our hotel room not with room service but with crackers and cheese and peanut butter, the same dinner we had Monday night.

As I write, it’s day three in Sydney for the Watki and we’re in the hotel business center at 4:40am. Since all three of us were awake at 3:30 (which tends to happen when folks go to bed before 8pm), we decided to go out in search of a 24 hour internet place. So we wouldn’t have to get out unnecessarily, Wade called down to the front desk to ask if the convenience store between here and China Town Station is open 24 hours. “Yes sir!” LIES! Now, some might be really bothered by this, but our trio used it as a chance to walk around the area a bit. The temperature outside was pleasant and the area well lit. The only time we were uncomfortable was when a cop car slowed & we were afraid we’d get hauled in for having a kid out on the streets at 4:00am. Adjusting to a 15 hour time difference is proving to be more difficult than our normal jet-lag routine, but if we keep on this track, we’re scheduled to sleep until around 5:30 tomorrow and finally until 7:30ish by Friday when we’ll be in Brisbane.

One-track hits Her Majesty's Theatre

Ever since Emma was old enough to communicate verbally, we've called her "one-track". She focuses on a particular subject, song, show, etc. and talks about it constantly. Since last July she's been fixated on Phantom of the Opera. Wade had purchased three tickets for a performance in Tulsa. Unfortunately, because someone who was scheduled to teach in London backed out at the last minute, Wade had to be out of the country and was unable to attend. Fortunately, we live really close to my parents and my mom was able to go with us. Three generations attending the musical together was pretty darn cool. Emma was obviously affected by the experience as she's listened to the CD non-stop since. For show and tell early in the school year she took her birthday present from Gramps & GranGran, a Monkey Music Box that plays "Masquerade". Later she wrote about Phantom of the Opera for Mrs. Hauf's Young Authors' Night and one of her art projects was titled "Phantom's Triumph".

Still, we wanted Emma to see it with her daddy and finally she has. Tuesday morning the Watki jumped on the Tube with the Cooks and all the NOC students and headed to the Prince of Wales Theatre, where Mamma Mia plays and where the D-M educational presentations occur. The lecturer invited the kids to join the college students in an interactive theatre lesson. FABULOUS! Each of the exercises he led helped to prepare the participants for certain aspects of the storyline. I wish you could have seen our little actress as a wax figure coming to life in a museum after closing time. Or playing the role of puppet and puppeteer with Jadrian Cook as her partner. The lecturer even pulled her aside to demonstrate a couple of moves he wanted to see from the rest of the class. Later, we all donned masques for a particular scene and she loved that as well. I promise to add photos as soon as we get home.

When the lecture was complete, we strolled over to Pizza Express with the Cooks and had pizza and pasta for lunch. The kids meals even came with what they dubbed "Bambacinos" -- capaccino minus the caffeine. Wade and I shared portabello risotto and a pizza Diabolo - scrumptious! Our bellies full, we walked back up the street to Her Majesty's Theatre and a matinee performance of Phantom of the Opera. Incredible is such a small word. AND, as if the day hadn't been full enough, following the performance the NOC crew was allowed to stay in the theatre, watch the team re-set the stage for the evening performance and participate in a Q & A with the Assistant Stage Director. FANTASTIC. Emma, who has a keen interest in the theatre, asked several questions and had her picture made with the ASD afterward.

Wade and Jeremy had told me what an enthusiastic group of learners they had in class this summer, and I got to witness this firsthand on Monday (at the Globe Theatre -- another blog entirely!) and Tuesday. I was so impressed with the students from NOC all day long. They really got into their roles in the workshop, loved the production, and asked good questions during the Q & A.

Super Saturday

Can I just tell you that it really kills me that I don't have the ability to post photos right now? Saturday would be so much better to share with you in pictures! Still, I'll give it my best shot.

The three of us had stayed up playing Phase 10 until after midnight, so we slept until almost 10. It's taken us almost eight years, but we finally have a daughter who has discovered the art of sleeping in during the morning. After a quick bite to eat we grabbed the bus and headed to the British Museum, our favorite in London, perhaps our favorite anywhere. We arrived about 10 minutes to noon and an Ancient Egyptian Storytelling was scheduled to begin at noon, so we scurried through the too expensive to stop and look giftshop and arrived in the Paul Hamlyn library in time for Emma to catch a front row seat. As she settled onto her cushion, Emma was approached by Olivia, the fantastically animated storyteller, who was holding a box of Egyptian artifacts for the children to peruse. The first story she shared was the story of the Phoenix and then she told a story about Ra. She asked the children if anyone knew who Ra was and our wonderfully pedantic little girl raised her hand and said, "A Pharaoh" when called upon . "That's brilliant!" exclaimed Olivia. We couldn't have said it better ourselves ;-)

After the storytelling we walked to hands on stations in some African and Asian rooms. Emma was able to handle artifacts, real museum exhibits, with the help of some curators and they shared lots of interesting information with her. We were equally enthralled with what they have to offer and are so grateful there are people out there willing to work for almost nothing in order to educate others.

All that learning had us working up an appetite, so we left the museum to look for someplace to grab a late lunch. On our way to Chinatown we stopped in a gaming store because we felt we owed it to our friends Aaron and LeAnn to pay homage to this establishment. There were a couple of games we'd have liked to acquire, especially one called Where's Moldova?, but they were both bulky and expensive, so we placed them on our mental wish list and went on with our day.

Following a yummy lunch in Chinatown (wonton soup, egg fried rice, chicken with black bean curd, king prawn in spicy szechuan sauce, and some veggie dish that paled in comparison to the others) we decided to walk to Covent Garden. As we approached CG we walked down the row of street performers and really enjoyed watching a "headless" man wearing spectalces and a top hat sitting in a chair. When someone threw money into his tin he'd dance his feet around a bit. After we'd paused for a minute or so to watch him, we headed into the Disney Store to see if they were running any specials on admission fees to Disneyland Paris. No such luck I'm afraid, but don't waste any time feeling sorry for Emma. She spent Sunday afternoon in Legoland. Ah, but I digress. Yes, I'm aware that comes as no surprise to most of you.

We exited the Disney Store, having bought nothing at all -- Yea, us! -- and decided to walk toward the Museum of Transport just in case Terry happened to be outside. After a few steps Emma's face lit up and she broke into a run as she could hear his voice and guitar. We were out of cash, so after listening to one song Wade set off in search of a Cash Point and some caffeine. He returned four songs later with money to put in the guitar case, a Chai Latte for him and a hot cocoa for Emma and I to share. We enjoyed sipping it together as we listened to Terry perform some of our favorites. A couple of songs later seven or eight of Wade's students walked over to where we were sitting. They had hit CG in search of a T-Mobile commercial that was to film at 5:30. Signs asking for extras had been posted at Regent's College so they decided to give it a go. It's my understanding that their acting prowess will be visible on YouTube soon. We stayed and listened to Terry until his set was finished and then we hopped on the Tube for King's Cross Station and . . . . . .

Platform 9 3/4. Now that might not mean anything to most of you, but those of you who have read Harry Potter know exactly what I'm talking about here. We took the most fantastic photos there, and as soon as I get home I'll post them here and on Facebook. Emma and I had just finished reading the first novel together two days before this, so she was especially excited as we wandered past platform 8 and took a left turn to find the spot where Harry boards the train for Hogwarts.

We closed out this spectacular day with Miso soup, cherries, peanut butter and crackers in our hotel room. And, of course, we played a few rounds of Phase 10 before hitting the sack.

Hakuna Matata

Among the many, many reasons I married Wade Watkins is that he likes to provide people with amazing experiences. For example, we took my brother, Garrett, to Disney World when he was around 9. While in Epcot, Garrett looked at Independence Hall and asked Wade if it was the White House. Wade disappeared to make a phone call I’d later learn was to his parents, and, less than thirty-six hours later, Garrett was taking a specially arranged tour of the White House in Washington D.C. In 1998, we were able to take Mom and Grandma on a similar tour. When my friend Amy did the calligraphy on our wedding invitations, as a thank you Wade cashed in frequent flier miles so she could travel to Germany and visit an exchange student who’d stayed with them previously. Before we moved to Belgium in 2002, he arranged for my mom to join us for ten days in the spring and booked rooms at the Grovesnor House in London for her arrival. I could go on and on, but my point is this: yes, the man can be annoyingly frugal at times, but he pinches pennies at certain times in order to be able to afford wicked awesome experiences at others. On Wednesday, he arranged such an experience for Emma. Following lunch in Covent Garden with our dear friend Jamee Majid, we headed to the Lyceum Theatre to catch a production of The Lion King. Wade had purchased tickets in the sixth row and was sure to get them on the aisle. I wish you all could have seen Emma’s face as the animals passed right by her en route to the stage, but I’m glad you didn’t see me jump nearly wetting myself when the hyenas passed by near the middle of the production and turned to growl at us! The actors who played young Nala and “grown up” Nala were phenomenal; Scar was appropriately disturbing, and Zazu was simply spectacular. It was an afternoon that will be remembered by all of us for quite some time.

Terrific Tuesday

After a quick bite to eat we headed toward Regent's College, where Wade & Jeremy Cook are teaching NOC's "Summer in London" courses. Emma and I enjoyed seeing William, a wonderfully flamboyant individual who has been working the front desk in Reid Hall since Wade developed this program in 2005. After Wade met with his students for class, we all walked to the front of the Baker Street Tube station where we boareded the Big Bus Tour. What a perfect day to travel about London on an open-topped double-decker bus! The skies were blue and the temperature reached 82 degrees; this is practically unheard of this time of year. Emma took lots of photos as we drove through Picadilly Circus, Trafalger Square, Westminster, etc. The bus ticket is also good for a Thames River Cruise, so at Emma's request the Watki hopped off at the Tower of London and to board the boat.

While we didn't go inside the Tower (quite pricey, long lines, and we'd visited it with cousins Sherry & McKay a couple of summers ago), we did make a quick stop inside the gift shop and acquired a new book for Emma: Secret Agent Jack Stalwart: The Caper of the Crown Jewels. This was a necessary stop since she's already read The Bridges in London and The Mystery at Big Ben since leaving home Sunday morning. In fact, she's enjoyed those books so much that she was reading while in line at various spots on our journey. In the immigration line the couple behind us conversed about Emma: wife, "Look, that child is reading. There is no video game in her hand and no plugs in her ears. This gives me hope for humanity." Husband: "Yeah, well I bet we don't see it again on our whole trip."

The Thames River Cruise was quite pleasant. We disembarked at the Westminster Pier and walked to Covent Garden to grab a bite for lunch. Restaurants in that area lean toward the expensive side, so we went into a Marks & Spencers and grabbed sandwiches, crisps & water and took it back to CG. It was a nice picnic lunch but would have been better if we'd seen Terry St. Clair, our favorite busker. So far we're 0-2 for catching him at CG, but we'll keep trying; he's worth it!

After lunch we walked through Leister Square to check the half-price ticket booth offerings before deciding to hit the National Gallery in Trafalger Square. Emma completed a family trail, sought out some Van Gough and Degas paintings, and picked up a print to add to the Art Gallery in the hallway of Will Rogers Elementary School back home. Those of you with children should let them play around on the "Noisy Paintings" section of the NG website.

Oops, we're late meeting Wade for lunch in the cafeteria. We packed a good bit into our first full day in London, don't you think?

Travel Day

Cheerio! For those of you who logged on in order to amuse yourselves by reading about our various travel misshaps, I must warn you this will not read like previous summer travel day blogs. Wes, Lou & Bradley drove us to Tulsa, and we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare and were not flagged for additional security checks. None of our flights were delayed. We landed at Heathrow ahead of schedule as did all of our luggage. We entered the immigration line just before 8am, and our passports were stamped by 8:20. After purchasing tickets on Heathrow Connect, we easily found our platform, and once the train stopped at Paddington Station the taxi queue moved quickly. Arriving at the hotel several hours before check-in time we were told if we could wait thirty minutes we could be checked into our room. I think God has better things to do than make our travels easy, but we are extremely grateful for smooth travels nonetheless.