London’s Calling

Yesterday morning at 5:15 we loaded only 5 suitcases into our pint sized elevator and took off for London. We spent much of the first day eating delicious food and reeling in the fact we can speak and listen in English. The challenges of communicating in Spanish make our brains hurt. The most comforting part of the day was sitting down for tea at Harrods with age old friends and their family.

One consistency throughout the entire adventure remains that our family of five continues to interact with one another no different than when we lived in Michigan. We run late, the kids fight, and I feel like the show can’t go on without me. But, it works for us. No matter who needs the time out among the five of us, when we all come together we converse and connect exactly the way we like it. The Kaftan Way.
Tonight we are headed to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory after a long day of taking the tube in and around London. The knowledge our kids gain from this experience reassures Jeffrey and I that one day when they are on their own they will know how to avoid a pick pocket and buy a subway ticket.
The markets in Portabello contained lots of junk, but elicited all of our senses. The only reason we stayed for less than two hours. Next, we strolled though a gallery at Christies Auction House and grabbed a pint right near the flat Jeffrey lived at while he studied abroad.

Meanwhile, Asher cried, not for the first time, when Elliot caught Mr. Mine or another Pokemon and he caught nothing.
Tomorrow we have a guided tour to all the staples one must see while in London. We anticipate another long day with meals abound.

We leave Monday for a stint in Majorica and return to Barcelona next Friday ready gear up for school and establish a consistent routine. The same one I imagine happening all around the world, including our beloved Birmingham.

Since I wrote this excerpt, we came and went to a restaurant called Cicchetti where Asher asked to see the manager. This is what he wanted to tell him.

“This place is reallllly good”.

That’s my boy!