Category: Europe

Characters and Princesses (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 3)

IMG_4160.jpegJuly 4 

We had pre-booked a character breakfast buffet when we first booked the tickets, figuring our second full day would be the best time. And now it was here. Of course, it was an 8:15am reservation, which meant getting up at 7. When your kid isn’t a morning person, though, this is easier said than done. But we did it. It took some cajoling, some threats, a bit of mom and dad frustrations, but in the end, we got there and were shown to our seats. Continue reading “Characters and Princesses (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 3)” →

King of Complaints (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 2)

IMG_20190703_113548.jpegJuly 3

Despite our late night, we were up early-ish and headed to the main hotel lobby for the included buffet breakfast. Our meal plan included 4 breakfasts and 4 lunch/dinners per adult and the breakfast buffet at the Santa Fe Hotel seemed just as good as anything else.

On the way there, we pass Pluto in the lobby doing a photo op (again, advantages of being in an onsite property) so we do that first, hoping to take full advantage of the Photopass program. I like the program, since it gives you access to all the digital photos the Disney photographers take (including those on the ride shots) and since photos was one of our primary foci here, it seemed like a good deal. It’s not for everyone, but it works for us. Continue reading “King of Complaints (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 2)” →

It Starts (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 1)

IMG_4211.jpegJuly 2

When deciding on our summer vacation, there are a lot of options to weigh. Granted,we’re only a small family of three, but you want to make sure there’s something for everyone. Last year, we went to London and learned some lessons about what to do and what not to do with a 2-year-old. We made changes on the fly.

This year, though, we decided again on Disneyland Paris. Continue reading “It Starts (Disneyland Paris 2019-Day 1)” →

Job 418

Kaunas signIt’s been a busy few months here at the new house. First, the folks came to visit, then we had to finish the semester and whatnot and then, just a few days ago, my sister, along with my nieces and nephew, came to visit!

Like my folks, the Fulton Clan was coming from Asia (visiting their friends Johnny and Simone in Hong Kong and our cousins Mitch and Wassana in Thailand) and they were arriving very late on Thursday night. So, in order to make things easier, I rented a larger car (four adult size people and their luggage were not going to fit into our little Toyota) with the license plate of JOB418, which became our title for the entire trip. Continue reading “Job 418” →

Coffee and Rain, Postcards and Plays

 

IMG_3410March 12 &13, 2019

Tuesday was my last full day and I had only made one plan for the afternoon to meet a friend and Lin had tickets for me to see a show that night, so I figured this was a day on my own. I was up and out of the house before Lin knew I was gone.

I had arranged to meet my friend Ian near the South Kensington station so I headed that way. I found a place just outside the station called Muriel’s and treated myself to a “Little English” breakfast while I wrote out a few postcards and watched the rain fall outside. This is what my vacation was all about. I wasn’t rushing around to see stuff and take in all the sights and wonders of a new place, instead I was just relaxing, watching the world go by. It was wonderful. Continue reading “Coffee and Rain, Postcards and Plays” →

Spirits and Giant Squids,Geeks and Shipwrecks

 

IMG_3403.JPGMarch 11, 2019

Monday morning started off too early for Lin. Naturally, the hazards of living with a small child and having to get up early on a daily basis means no matter what time I go to bed, I get up at what, for some people, is an unreasonable hour. But being the trooper (trouper?) she is, she was up before 9am and ran out to the local bakery to get some fresh bread then fixed us both some eggs (Gordon Ramsey recipe and it was skanu!) and toast for breakfast. Continue reading “Spirits and Giant Squids,Geeks and Shipwrecks” →

Cursed Children, EasyBuses, and other adventures

IMG_3375March 10, 2019

A few weeks back, I was getting pretty ragged. I was exhausted, working on various projects, and hadn’t had a real break from anything in about 8 months. It also turned out that due to a scheduling thing at work, I could have a week off from work. It was at this point Rasa, my ever supportive wife, said, in essence, get the hell out! After debating for a bit, and looking at options, I booked a three-day getaway to London, where I could stay with my sister from another mister, Lin. Continue reading “Cursed Children, EasyBuses, and other adventures” →

A Day in Spain spent Mainly on the Plane – Aga-Boom in Barcelona October 2018

Aga-Boom BillboardThe theme for my weekend getaway with Aga-Boom was “Late.”

Here’s how it all went down: Continue reading “A Day in Spain spent Mainly on the Plane – Aga-Boom in Barcelona October 2018” →

Photos of Abandoned Russia – The Atlantic

“For years, photographers have traveled across Russia finding and photographing intriguing ghost towns, empty Soviet factories, toppling houses, and crumbling churches.”

For me, though, it’s really more about just finding cool, funky, unique places to spark the imagination and speculate on what kind of stories could be set there.

On Speaking English as a Second Language

Smart in Russian
A friend on Facebook posted this picture, which then sparked a discussion about speaking English when it isn’t your native language.

So here’s the thing: It’s hard. What this illustration points out is incredibly true. When I moved to Lithuania, I had no idea how to speak the language. Eventually, a few years after I arrived, I had the opportunity to take a basic, entry-level class.

It was hell.

Being a teacher myself, I would talk with my teacher who told me, after that fact, that when she saw she had an American coming in to her class, she was a little nervous. “I hate teaching Americans – any native English speakers, really.”

Now, mind you, the class itself was taught in English as that was the common lingua franca amongst the students, so the idea of speaking English wasn’t the problem.  Continue reading “On Speaking English as a Second Language” →

Dinosaurs and Technology – July 8, 2018

IMG_1734.jpgSunday was our last day in town and we had decided to try for the Natural History Museum. It fit our requirement of being free and had the added benefit of being one of my favorite places (plus, I’m working on a story set there, so, yay, research!). But first…breakfast and then a walk to the park.

Back at Valentines Park the day before, we had seen a small play area for kids but didn’t get a chance to stop by, so we figured we could do that this morning. Monki loved it. She only recently discovered the joy of slides and swings back at home, and was getting pretty good at climbing the stairs and waiting her turn, so this seemed tailor made for her. Continue reading “Dinosaurs and Technology – July 8, 2018” →

Park Life – July 7, 2018

IMG_1795.jpgSo…Remember those clothes we took to the cleaner back on Wednesday when Monki got sick in the car? It wasn’t just a wash and fold, it was actually a dry-cleaner and they said they could get them back for us Friday night or Saturday morning. Since way back then we didn’t know what was going to be happening, I opted for the Saturday morning option. Now, here we were on Saturday morning, up and ready to go out for the day, except we had to wait until at least 9am so we could make sure to get our clothes. Continue reading “Park Life – July 7, 2018” →

Into London Town – July 6, 2018

IMG_1678.jpgNew day, new adventure. Once again, a jet-lagged baby was up early so we had breakfast and headed out to figure out how to get into the city. We found the Ilford station and a very nice and helpful station agent explained the advantage of Oyster Cards to us as a cost saving measure and with the help of Citymapper, an app Lin had recommended, we quickly and easily made our way to Westminster Underground station. The great thing about this app is it it not only tells you what time and platform your train/bus/subway is on, but also which exit to take in order to leave the station as efficiently as possible as well as GPS enable walking routes to get you to and from the stations themselves. Truly a great app for London (and I understand they have it for other cities as well). Continue reading “Into London Town – July 6, 2018” →