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Bilkey 6 in Europe

March - April 2023
A 32-day adventure by Rowan, Sarah, Tom and 3 others Read more
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  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 10

    Canal Saint-Martin to La Villette

    April 8, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Today's adventure was a boat ride up the Canal Saint Martin from the Siene, up to La Villette. The Canal runs south, however we made our way upstream, to the north. To do this, we first enter a series of voutes, or tunnels which takes us underneath Bastille. After coming out of the nearly 2km tunnels, we then needed to proceed through a number of locks to rise up water levels throughout the journey. The process of the lock was fascinating and the boys enjoyed watching the water flood through the doors. After the 8th lock, perhaps it lost its appeal, but a cool thing to do in any case.

    We ended at La Villette, a huge park in the north of town. Freddy, Teddy and Sam enjoyed a spin on the Carousel before heading across with the big boys to the main play equipment. We then had dinner at the Paname pub on the water.

    It was a beautiful evening and we strolled back down the canal, past crowds of people enjoying the spring air with a beer on the canal, or playing boules with friends. We even saw a few games of Finska and felt we could have jumped in and dominated.

    The boys wanted some ice cream, so we stopped at a creme glacee shop and enjoyed the local fair. By the time we made it back to the apartment, our feet were sore, but our bellies were full and the kids' heads full of memories of play and fun with their cousins.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    111
    Day 11

    Eiffel Tower - Cam's Birthday Part 1

    April 9, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Happy Birthday Campbell! When we planned this trip, we asked Cam where he wanted to be for his birthday. His first response was with his cousins in Paris, then more specifically up on top of the Eiffel Tower. It was an early start to get there and we queued for nearly 2 hours before finally making it into the lift. The tour guide we were with filled in the time however with some interesting facts and history about the tower, one of the more interesting is that the French Government paid for only two thirds of the construction. Gustave Eiffel, the owner of the engineering company commissioned to create the structure, needed to fund the rest. In the negotiations, he had the government agree to his ownership of the tower. The tower remains in the Eiffel family estate to this day.

    Eventually, we made it onto the lift and up to level 2. Jack's aversion to heights kicked in and he felt quite uncomfortable, however to his credit, he made it all the way to the top and can tick it off his list. At level 2, we wandered around and took in the open air view of the city.

    After a while, we made our way (via another extensive queue) to the lift to head to the top of the tower. Some 300m above the Champs de Mars, we are afforded spectacular views of the city. Fred found exactly how high we were, 280m, and the wait was all worth it.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 11

    Cam's Birthday Part 2

    April 9, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After returning home from our trip up the Eiffel Tower, we didn't have long before we needed to head out again. Richard and Elise's friends were in town with their kids and we were to meet them in a French Bistro around the corner from the apartment.

    Before departing for dinner though, Elise had scoured Paris for the best eclairs in the land and we sang Happy Birthday to the 11 year old. A gift of Go Nuts for Donuts for Cam from the Paris Bilkey's hit the mark.

    We then made our way to the Bistro. On the menu was the usual burgers, risotto, steaks etc, but a little surprise was the escargot. We ordered half a dozen, thinking that there would be one each for the Bilkey 6. However, the younger three all chickened out, so Tom, Sarah and Rowan all had two each. Rubbery chicken with a strong garlic sauce. Tom was a trooper, although none of us are worried if we don't see a snail again for a while.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 12

    Quiet day in Paris

    April 10, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After the festivities of yesterday, it was decided that today should be a ‘quiet day’. I wish I could say that we managed to convince the boys to all have a sleep-in but alas NO! Rowan and Tom both weren’t feeling great, so Richard, Elise and I thought we’d brave the cold and head out to a park to give them ‘the quiet’. Rowan promised that after he’d slept he’d cook a baked dinner as a final farewell meal.

    Just like Berlin, Paris also has a lot of green space, some of it hidden between buildings. A short distance from the Paris Bilkeys' home were quite a selection of little parks. The boys decided they wanted to head back to one that had options - basketball, space to kick a football, a play area and a garden and seats for the parents.

    The boys played soccer, basketball, climbed the play equipment and the parents all managed to join in at some point.

    Richard and I then surprised Campbell, Charlie, Fred, Jack & Sam, by taking them to see the Mario Movie - it was the first time that Sam went to a movie theatre - I love ‘firsts’ so I was glad I could share that with him.

    Happy to report, Rowan kept his promise and cooked an amazing baked chicken dinner - yum yum.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 13

    Last day in Paris

    April 11, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Our last day in Paris saw us farewell Elise at home before she headed off to the office. It was then off to the school to drop Charlie, Sam and Teddy off at their respective schools. We managed one game of Go Nuts for Donuts, although I'm not sure we had a winner, there was a bit of angst amongst the cousins over who had more Red Velvets!

    Sam was gracious enough to show the boys his classroom and some of his artwork. It was beautiful for his cousins to be able to see how the French do school, and see how their cousins' daily life unfolds in the City of Lights.

    By the time Richard delivered us to Gare du Nord, we said our final farewells and made our way through customs. Once we were through, some tired boys made good use of the lounges in the terminal as we waited for our Eurostar train to whisk us under the sea to our next destination.... London!    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 14

    London Calling

    April 12, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    The trip from Paris to London was largely uneventful. A pleasant train ride through the French countryside before dipping into a tunnel for half an hour and emerging on the other side of the Channel. From there we snaked our way through the outskirts of the city, and glided into St Pancras station. It was evening rush hour, but we headed across the road to Kings Cross Station to see platform 9 3/4. It was pretty packed, so we made our way onto the tube and across town to our apartment in West Kensington. It's been a long day, and the pizza shop below our apartment was calling. It didn't disappoint.

    The following day we were up early and at it. We headed into the East End and emerged at the stunning Tower of London. It's an impressive building. After stopping so the kids could have a chat with the Beefeater, we walked inside and decided to head straight for the Crown Jewels. London is busily preparing for the Coronation of King Charles III, which meant a number of things around town are in preparation mode. This includes some of the relevant Crown Jewels, which are currently at the crown shop being prepared. It's where I always take my crown for repairs.... Fortunately, the British monarchy is not short of a jewel or two and there were plenty of crowns, sceptres, gold dishes and orbs to go around. Including the impressive Cullinan Diamond, the largest cut diamond in the world, found in Pretoria, South Africa over 100 years ago. I'm sure it was humanely sourced.

    We wandered further through the former palace, gaol, fortress and explored the many rooms, dungeons and walls. One delightful story that caught our attention was that of Alice Wolf. Convicted of piracy she was hung by manacles from the exterior walls of the palace while the Thames tide was low. As the tide came in, she was gradually swallowed up by the river and drowned. So inventive.

    We departed the Tower and cross the beautiful Tower Bridge to the south bank where we found a spot of lunch. From there, back across the river towards the Bank region where Sarah worked, once upon a time. As the clouds rolled in and the rain set in, we caught the Number 9 bus, which was a cheap way to get home via most of the major sites in town. We sat at the top of the double decker bus and drove past St Paul's Cathedral, The Strand, Australia House, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Downing St, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and St James' Park.

    Eventually we found our way back to West Kensington. For dinner, we had a surprise guest come and meet us. Zoe had finished work and headed for our house. The boys were very excited to see her. We enjoyed a game of Go Nuts for Donuts and a meal, it was good to have a friendly face at the dinner table.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 15

    Harry Potter Studios

    April 13, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    The boys have been involved with the planning of this trip. It's encouraged them to research our destinations and help come up with plans and itineraries. One activity that we wanted to keep a secret however, was the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. It was Gabba's contribution to our trip, and the boys had no idea....

    The tour wasn't until the afternoon, so we spent the morning strolling around town. We walked up to Hyde Park. Tom found some more squirrels, but was less impressed with the grey variety. We made our way to Marble Arch and then up towards Baker St. A cursory walk by 221B had us deducing that it was Sherlock Holmes' residence. Elementary.

    After a quick bite it was on the train to Watford Junction. As we stepped out of the station and waited for the shuttle bus emblazoned with Harry Potter signage, the penny finally dropped for the boys about where we were heading.

    The tour is pretty impressive. The majority of the films were produced in these studios and the sets have all been recreated using the original set pieces. We made our way into the Grand Dining Hall and watched the lights and smoke show, similar to the pizazz that would have been used when filming the scene when the Weasley's flew their brooms through the Hall. The next room showcased a number of sets, as well as hundreds of genuine props and costumes. The detail in set design was amazing. In the halls of Hogwarts, the oil paintings that adorned the walls were all hand painted and were generally paintings of film crew and their families. Some of the moving pictures on the walls were film crew as well, but to think they had dozens and dozens of these pictures, all requiring their own set, and they may end up on camera for a second. It's pretty impressive.

    The boys enjoyed finding the snitches that were hidden throughout the tour, Sarah found the elusive snitch in the Gringott's Bank. We stopped halfway for a Butter Beer and then continued through the Dursley's house, into the forest, on the Hogwarts Express, up Diagon Alley and finally to the 1:20 scale model of Hogwarts Castle. This model is uber-impressive, the detail is unbelievable. It was used for fly-by scenes and you can almost see miniature Harry, Hermione and Ron walking through the corridors.

    We tiredly got back on the bus and train, back into Euston Station. We were tired but hungry, and it was decided that a good curry would hit the spot. It was too much for poor Fred, who fell asleep at the curry house, however the rest of us managed to eat his share. A tired journey across town eventually had us back in our beds dreaming of witchcraft and wizardry.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 16

    Lucy, Dicky and some Clever Design

    April 14, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    After a big day yesterday testing our wands, we needed a quieter day. We had a slow start to the morning before heading in to Westminster to poke around. Tom and Sarah were very keen to head to the Churchill War Rooms, while I took the younger boys down to the river. We walked passed Big Ben and agreed that it was quite big. We strolled through St James' Park towards Buckingham Palace. We were fortunate enough to see a horse brigade and platoon of the Queen's Guard practicing their marching up and down the Mall. We spied Buckingham Palace, admired the bloody big gates, and headed for the pub.

    Sarah and Tom had escaped the apartment early and lined up to see Churchills War Rooms, something Sarah had missed when we were living in London and swore she wasn't missing out this time. The entrance fee into this museum came with an audio device and gave you extra information about Churchills time during WWII and his life prior and after. They both thought it was great to get an inside look into how Churchill and his team operated during the war...and also agreed it was nice to get the chance to take their time without the sounds from Jack & Fred 'are we finished yet!'

    Sarah and Tom joined us for lunch, where Sarah finally got to have fish ’n’ chips with mushy peas before we headed to the Design Museum to meet Lucy, Dicky, Trix and Fabs. It was a cool little museum, highlighting the importance of design in our everyday lives. After a slightly shy start, the kids were soon getting along very well. We left the museum and headed around the back to Holland Park. Rowan trained here many moons ago for the Wildcats, so it was cool to come back and kick a footy with the kids. Dicky's frisbee got a solid workout and, as would become routine for the trip, Jack and Cam found some local kids to kick a football with. Fred and Fabs hit it off famously, creating their own little world, and for a good time kept each other thoroughly entertained. Zoe also came and met us again, and it was lovely to introduce her to Lucy, Dicky and the kids.

    It was great to chat to Lucy and Dicky and hear about their lives which are quickly about to change with Lucy due in a few months.

    We said our goodbyes and hope that we get to see Trix, Fabs and the little nugget in the not-too-distant future down in Australia. The boys really enjoyed their time together.

    Zoe came back to our place for dinner. We all love spending as much time as we can with her…in two days we are leaving London bound for warmer shores.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 17

    Trip Down Memory Lane

    April 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Saturday was an opportunity to visit our old haunt, check out our neighbourhood and remember some good times. We walked from our apartment in West Kensington to Hammersmith, where Sarah and I had enjoyed lock ins, being crowned King and Queen of the Wildcat Ball, theatre, music shows, garlic mussels and Primark. We trod our familiar path on the Hammersmith and City line, two stops north to Shepherd's Bush.

    The Walky is no longer there but we wandered passed and said things like "remember when you..." and "where was it that I..." and "look, isn't that where we..."

    It was a nice trip down memory lane. We crossed the Green and down passed Belushi's (still up and running, and probably serving Snakies) down the footpath onto Richmond Way. The boys were not overly excited at seeing our old house, but it was a day for us.

    We then started to make our way to Goldhawk Rd where we were to meet a host of friends. We arrived a little early so took some time to play at Ravenscourt Park where Fred conquered the playground at about 20ft high. Jack and Cam again found some local friends to play soccer with. It's a real skill they've picked up along the way, the ability to introduce themselves, fight their nervousness and make a new friend. It's a skill that will be very beneficial through life. Their foot skills have improved too!

    Back across the road to the Eagle. Rowan had his 21st birthday dinner with good friends nearly 20 years ago, so it was nice to walk through the doors again. We had booked a table out the back and had fingers crossed for a warm spring afternoon. It didn't start that way, but by the end the beer garden was packed and full of sun.

    A number of people had been invited, and first to arrive was Rowan's cousin Glenn. He has been living in London for around 10 years and manages a pub in Pimlico. He needs to call his mum more often.

    Next was Rowan's workmate Ant, who had made the trek to Sydney for our wedding. It was great to see Ant, who's been having a bit of a tough time of late. It was a shame not to have his two girls with him, but his brother Chris was able to come along as well with his wife and their one year old daughter as well. Chris admitted to being intimidated by Sarah back in the day. It must have been her tequila drinking ability...

    Zoe also headed down for the afternoon. It's been great being able to spend this time with Zoe, the boys have a wonderful relationship with her and she was able to provide great advice on where to go, what to see. We can't wait for her to come back to Australia again, but hope she has an amazing time on her future travels!

    Lastly, we were waiting for Merro, our Irish mate from the Wildcats to arrive. He couldn't bring his family along but arrived at around 5pm looking very dapper. He was on his way to dinner with a friend for his birthday. It turns out his friend was Gerode, a one-time acquaintance of ours. He turned up to Rowan's 21st birthday party and drank the pub out of champagne.

    It was a wonderful afternoon catching up with old friends and family. The boys managed to make some friends with the other kids in the beer garden and experience a traditional London family day out!    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 18

    Trifecta of Dinosaurs and off to Crete!

    April 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Our final day in London, before our flight out to Crete. We were unable to get into the British Museum of Natural History the other day, so we booked early tickets on the Sunday in order to tick off a big wish list item for Campbell. The Natural History Museum is another stunning building within London, and Sarah and I continually marvel at the architecture, sometimes forgetting to admire the actual exhibits.

    It was a rushed trip through the museum, however Campbell had been keen to tick off the Big Three dinosaurs - the Triceratops in Melbourne, the T-Rex in Berlin and the Stegosaurus in London. These three were the most complete skeletons of their types around the world, and we were pleased to be able to see it.

    The museum had some other interesting exhibits as well, including a huge globe earth that you travel through on an escalator in the Geography section, before making your way to an earthquake room. Tom had experienced an earthquake room in New Zealand, which was, pretty cool. When he saw this one, we needed to check it out. We made our way into a replica supermarket before watching footage from the original supermarket in Kyoto. Suddenly our room started to shake. We moved side to side, a little clumsily (as I guess you would in an earthquake). It was a little underwhelming...

    We were on a tight schedule, needing to get to Gatwick airport in order to catch our 4pm flight. One more Tube ride through the crowded Underground before jumping on the overground from Euston Station.

    Side note - we managed to tick off a lot of Monopoly squares - we covered:

    Kings Cross Station, Euston, Pall Mall, Whitehall, Northumberland, Vine, Marlborough, The Strand, Fleet St, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, Regent, Oxford, Bond, Liverpool St Station, Park Lane & Mayfair. And, considering some of the historical uses of The Tower of London, we'll tick off the gaol as well. I didn't get my $200 though...

    We boarded our Easyjet flight and took off into the night. Tom and I had the pleasure of window seats and enjoyed our time guessing where over Europe we were at any given time.

    Eventually we landed in Chania, and were greeted by a lovely driver who took us to our apartment. When we arrived, nearly 11pm, our host was waiting for us and greeted us warmly, as if we were family. He showed us through his amazing apartment, explaining where everything was, how it worked and what facilities were available to us. He presented us with a bottle of wine from his own vineyard and toasted us with a glass of his own Raki, a take-your-breath-away spirit enjoyed by the Greeks at any occasion. It was a wonderful reception and set the tone for our stay on Greece's biggest island.    Read more

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