Nov 30

Today I didn’t want to do anything early, so my Mom and Dad went to the Musee D’Orsay. Then they came and picked me up, and we all went to a science museum. It was pretty cool – they had a planetarium show. (Mom’s unauthorized addition – it taught us that Earth’s moon was formed by the collision of a meteorite into the earth, scattering debris, which formed in a month into the moon.) After the museum we went to a little French Restaurant and I had Beef Bourginon which was tasty, and chocolate mousse.

Nov 29

Hey guys -- Today I went on a plane to Paris. When we got to Paris we found that some Europeans charge to use public bathrooms! We then went to our apartment that we’d rented. We then left to go to a museum. Within twenty minutes of being out, we had gone to two pastry shops, and a candy shop. We had this great meringue/chocolate mousse thing called a merveilleux (it means marvelous in French). When we arrived at the museum (the Pompidou) we saw a bunch of surrealistic art, and got a great view of the Eiffel tower. The museum was kind of weird because all the pipes and escalators and stuff were on the outside – it looked like a person turned inside out – gross, but strangely interesting.

Nov 28

Mom to meetings (again!). Dad and I went off to a science museum, which was very cool. It had a very cool variety of exhibits. One of my favorites was a game where you had to press one fo three big buttons. On the first one, there were infrared beams which you had to avoid, on the second one you had to avoid light beams, and the last one was timed and you had to move your feet so the speed-sensitive floor wouldn’t catch you. I did all of them – they were easy! Then we went back to Edinburgh on very very crowded train.

Nov 27

Today we went to the Scottish History Museum. We then went to a Disney-esque science museum called Discover Earth. It was kind of cool. There were a varied bunch of exhibits, including a video on volcanic eruptions kooonut, and a cause-and-effect game. Then we hopped on a train to Dundee.

Nov 26

Today we went Edinburgh Castle. It was cool. We saw all the royal stuff: the royal jewels, scepter, the royal armory, etc… Then we went to the optical illusion museum where there were tons of cool optical illusions like holograms of a T Rex that seemed to jump out of the wall, and a camera obscura. Then we walked down the Royal Mile.

Nov 25

Today we woke up in Hazelwood castle and after breakfast we explored the old cathedral by the castle, explored the castle grounds, and fed sugar cubes to a racehorse. It was really great – I wish we could’ve stayed there for another night.

We went to York, an ancient walled city. We went to the Minster – that’s what they called the old church – my Dad says it is one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in England. The best part of the Minster for me was climbing the tower, where we got an amazing view, and my Mom got very excited about this odd architecture, flying buttresses, which helped keep the walls of the cathedral up. Then we went on the train to Edinburgh.

Nov 23

Today, we went on the train from London to Oxford. When we got there, we went on a walking tour of Oxford – it was pretty cool. A lot of the buildings were hundreds of years old, and we saw where Harry Potter was filmed. I was very cold throughout the tour, and my parents grew sick of my complaining, and left me at the hotel while they went to a Beethoven concert.

Nov 23

Today we went to three museums, none of which I liked very much. First we went to the Oxford Museum of Natural History, where we saw bones from an extinct (dodo) bird – that was that museum’s highlight. Next, we went to the Ashmolean Art Museum (also at Oxford, also not fascinating), and finally to the Museum of Science – which was a bunch of old scientific instruments like astrolabes, that you couldn’t touch. Also there was one really cool thing there – the blackboard with the writing on it still, where Einstein had written a bunch of equations about the expansion of the universe.

Nov 24

Today we were in transit from Oxford to York. We arrived at an AWESOME CASTLE HOTEL

Nov 25

Today we woke up in Hazelwood castle and after breakfast we explored the old cathedral by the castle, explored the castle grounds, and fed sugar cubes to a racehorse. It was really great – I wish we could’ve stayed there for another night.

Nov 22-24 2008

Nov 22

Today my parents dragged me to Kew Gardens, a botanical garden. I really really didn’t want to go, but the one thing I liked was the Palm House because it was warm, also, there were carnivorous plants, which are always fun, and coffee and cacao plants, too. We then got back on the London Tube/subway, and then to a yummy dinner, and then to the Tate Modern art gallery. [Michael, you would have loved it, it had lots of surrealism. BTW, 2 days ago would have been Magritte’s 110^th birthday.) There was a 100 foot tall spider sculpture that I liked, and the building was cool – it was a converted power plant.

Nov 23

Today, we went on the train from London to Oxford. When we got there, we went on a walking tour of Oxford – it was pretty cool. A lot of the buildings were hundreds of years old, and we saw where Harry Potter was filmed. I was very cold throughout the tour, and my parents grew sick of my complaining, and left me at the hotel while they went to a Beethoven concert.

Nov 24

Today we went to three museums, none of which I liked very much. First we went to the Oxford Museum of Natural History, where we saw bones from an extinct (dodo) bird – that was that museum’s highlight. Next, we went to the Ashmolean Art Museum (also at Oxford, also not fascinating), and finally to the Museum of Science – which was a bunch of old scientific instruments like astrolabes, that you couldn’t touch. Also there was one really cool thing there – the blackboard with the writing on it still, where Einstein had written a bunch of equations about the expansion of the universe.

nov 20 08

todayme and my dad went buckingham palace where we saw heavly armed gards then we met up with my mom and went west minster abby (a famous church) then my mom had a meeting in the house of lords and we got to come wich was awesome then my dad went back by train for one of his meetings and me and my mom walked back we stoped at this awesome cupcake shop (and this comic shop we passed had alot of manga shakespear Ian) then my pearents went out for a consert with a freind who livs in london and i stayed back

Nov 19 08

today i wemt to the london science museum which was cool. We went on another simulator it was dumb it didnt even have doors. Then we went to the Victoria & Albert(an art museum) i thougt it wholud be dumb but it was ok (they had huge mirengues they where great). we then went for a walk in Hyde park i was feeding squirrels and pigeons so they all gather round and one squirrel jumped up on my leg and i freaked out but it whouldent come off for a minute then it jumped off and ran away.

hey

Nov 13 2008

Hey guys. Yesterday I went to the Franklin Institute on the way to D.C.; there was a lot of cool stuff there. Probably my favorite was the flight simulator. They run a flight simulator computer program, but it connected to a huge machine. You climb inside the machine, and they strap you in and close the machine up. In front of you is a big screen, and it feels like you’re in a real plane. To control yourself, you use a joystick and a throttle. But that’s not all: the flight simulator rises up, and whenever you move the joystick, the flight simulator moves. I went upside down and stayed there, and then did a barrel roll. My mom hated being upside down! It was crazy! I also took a bunch of pictures at the Franklin Institute – here they are.

Nov 14 2008

Hey guys today I went to the museum of natural history. There was an awesome stuffed animal exhibit (real animals that have been stuffed). I saw a stuffed hippo and chinchilla; I also saw this huge floating earth that told me about the currents.

Nov 15 2008

Today I went to the air and space museum. I went on a flight simulator again, this time with my dad. He liked it more than my mom did. I saw some other cool stuff, and generally learned about aeronautics. Tonight we leave for Europe.

Nov 16 2008

WAHHH, I only slept an hour! And I’ve had a coffee, and I’m still sleepy. Mom dragged me to the British museum – I might’ve enjoyed it, but with just an hour of sleep, I only wanted a bed. Then I went back to the room for a nap, and then I went out and saw the new James Bond movie (Quantum of Solace).

Nov 17 2008

Today my Mom was in meetings, so me and my Dad went to the Tower of London. It’s not really a tower, more of a castle. We got a tour where we saw a cathedral, and we also saw the crown jewels (the diamonds were huge) and a bunch of other stuff. Then we went to Saint Paul’s -- there we heard a choir and got a great view of London from the dome.

Today my mom got bed bug bites at our hotel, so we moved to a new hotel. My Mom was in meetings again, so me and my Dad went on the London eye (it’s a huge huge ferris wheel), and to a movie museum, to a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s boat, and to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.

nov 13 2008

Nov 13 2008

Hey guys today I went to the museum of natural history. There was an awesome stuffed animal exhibit (real animals that have been stuffed). I saw a stuffed hippo and chinchilla; I also saw this huge floating earth that told me about the currents.

hey

heya peoples im am curently at my grandmother ruths house in pensilvania and i just set up my blog