…your sweet little one says “Mama, you have chicken toes?”
Happy Friday! My weekend will be filled with brunch, a wedding and apparently a much needed pedicure. What are your weekend plans?
Photo by Tim Walker
Archive for May, 2009
samovar
Published May 26, 2009 adventures , treats 1 CommentTags: samovar, san francisco, tea, teahouse
I hope everyone had a nice long weekend. I went to Samovar for a bridal shower. They have an amazing selection of teas. I had Scarlet Sage and Pip had Ocean of Wisdom, both delicious. Later, I had the best chai I have ever had. Their jook and cheese plate with honeycomb were the best parts of the meal. The atmosphere is so beautiful we didn’t even notice the road work going on right out front. Though it may not seem very child friendly, it is. They brought Pip a tablet that she could paint with water (shown in the photo taken with my phone above). The water would dry and the painting would fade so she could start again. She loved it and it kept her busy for three hours. Yes, three hours. If you don’t have children, just know that this is almost unheard of for a child who is not yet three. Granted, Pip does well in restaurants in general, and was excited to be going to a “tea party” having just seen Alice in Wonderland for the first time. But still…
They sell all of their amazing teas on their website and have a tea blog too.
Pip’s normal playground is 4 blocks from our house. They are long, slightly uphill blocks and it takes about 15-20 minutes to get there depending on how many flowers we stop to smell along the way and how long we chat with the woman at the café where we stop to get a Madeline. It is lovely and usually quite convenient, but not always.
Last week, after several years of renovation, my neighborhood’s branch library reopened. There is a small playground out back, just outside the children’s reading room. Even though it is small, there are several climbing structures (Pip is a climber) and an adjacent lawn for games of tag and races. Something about the layout encourages running. I rarely see any children walking. They all run. And the small size encourages the children to play together regardless of age. There is a nice community feel of it as well. When Pip needs a quick rest, we can duck inside and read a book for a few minutes or play in the toddler corner. The best part: It is two short, flat blocks from our apartment. It takes less than 5 minutes to walk there and is super easy during the week for after work play sessions. It is well lit and in a populated enough area that we can be there after sun down in the winter when the days are shorter. We can pop over late in the evening, after dinner if Pip still needs to release some energy.
Pip has already made a little friend that she knows by name and has been sleeping better than ever. Who knew that two little blocks could make such a big difference? What little things are making a big difference for you?
I’ve lived in San Francisco for 12 years and the Bay Area for my whole life and I’ve never taken a ride on a cable car. It always seemed so touristy and Muni was always more convenient. Pip loves them and has been asking to ride one so after work today I am taking her to her ballet class on a cable car. There is a first time for everything. Happy Friday!
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There is one more place on my top 5 places to visit as soon as possible list and that is Belgium. I like places that can be described as charming and Belgium does indeed look charming. The cities and castles look as though they are out of a story book. I flipped over this recent post on Pia’s blog. When I think of Belgium, I think of trappist ales, moules et frites, castles, cobblestones, cafes, and such. I did not associate Belgium with magical forests. I do now. I want to be there. Now.
I like pastoral surroundings and I like unusual landscapes, so I really want to go to Scotland. A friend told me that Edinburg reminds her of San Francisco and I’m curious to see if I feel the same. Mostly, I want to stay in a sweet cottage by the sea, perhaps on an island or by a loch. I’ve seen self catering cottages in Scotland go for as little as $300 (US) and this lovely cottage that has recently made the blog rounds is quite reasonable and so beautifully furnished. I don’t know exactly where in Scotland I want to go, just that I want to go. Any suggestions?
I would also love to go to Ireland. So charming. I swooned over the gorgeous honeymoon photos on Design Lovely. I have seen vacation packages that include air and castle (castle!) lodging for extremely low prices. I can’t think of a better trip for a little girl (and her mom) who loves fairy tales. Even if you never left the grounds, it would be an amazing and relaxing trip. I have also seen airfare packages for Ireland and Scotland that would make it quite easy to do both countries in one trip.
What about you? Have you ever been? Would you like to go?
Lucky Chelsea from frolic gets to spend a month here this summer. I might be just a little jealous. I have been reading a lot about Swedish summer homes online recently. Now we have made it a family goal to spend a summer (or at least a few weeks) in the Swedish countryside in the next few years and my dreams are filled with little red cottages by the sea. Again, these self catering cottages seem to be the way to go with small children and many are much less expensive than hotels.
Parts of Sweden I want to see:
Stockholm – duh.
Malmo – Seaside city where I have some ancestry.
Gotland – Medieval island. Pippi Longstocking’s house is here!
Faro – Otherworldly island just north of Gotland. Ingmar Bergman lived here and used it for the location of several of his films.
What should I add to the list?
london and wales
Published May 13, 2009 daydreams , travel 2 CommentsTags: hay-on-wye, london, steam trains, wales
This will likely be the next trip I take. I have a friend who lives in London and rents a room in a large house belonging to some friends who have small children. They have a guest room we would be able to stay in for a few days. I’d get to visit with my friend, make new friends and Pip would have playmates.
I added Wales to this trip for a few reasons. I have always wanted to go. In case my name didn’t give it away, I have Welsh ancestry. Wales seems like a very family friendly place to visit and I am craving pastoral surroundings. We can do the city for a few days and then relax in the country for a bit.
Some things I’d like to see and do in Wales:
Castles. My mother is always talking about Powis Castle. Because of something in our lineage, she refers to it as “our castle”. I’d like to see any number of castles there. I’m sure Pip would too.
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Steam trains. There are really beautiful old steam engines. Pip loves trains. One of the stations (I’m not sure which one) has a life size Thomas the Tank engine. Pip LOVES Thomas. I’m sure that would be a hit.
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Hay-On-Wye. The used bookstore capital of the world. Need I say more?
I’m torn about lodgings. I would love to rent a self catering cottage in the country side. There are many on working farms. That seems like a great option for traveling with a small child. But the Pub Inns seem like a good option as well. They seem very family friendly and conveniently located as well. I saw a few that were located near play grounds and good shopping.
What do you think? I haven’t seen any blog postings about Wales, but sfgirlbybay is in London right now. I can’t wait to read about her trip.
My first imaginary destination this week is Paris. It seems that everyone in blogland is going to Paris. I have been swooning over Paris photos and eagerly anticipating reading Paris adventures on a ton of blogs lately. Also, Paris is Pip’s #1 request these days. Three movies on heavy rotation in our house are Madeline, Ratatouille, and Amelie. She recently made the connection that all three take place in Paris and has informed us that she wants to go there to “see Ratooey’s house” (the Eiffel Tower). I told her I would take her but it is far so it will take some time to plan. She said “Fly on a plane?” I don’t know how you know that Pip, but yes, we will have to fly on a plane.
Read about Paris Adventures on Little Brown Pen, and Simply Photo. Trip details will soon be posted on A Cup of Jo and Lobster and Swan will be going in a few weeks. I feel like I am missing some. Are there any great Paris posts out there I must see? What about resouces? I know about Jordan’s famous Paris guide and I will certainly refer to Pia’s book. Any others?
Photo found here.
I am dreaming of travel quite a bit lately. For various reasons, it has been far too long since we have been abroad. I hope to change this later in the year or early next year. I’d like to spend this week day dreaming of the trips I will take in the coming years. There are many more places I’d like to visit, but these are the places that are on the top of my list. I find that sharing day dreams helps to make them a reality, so please join me on an imaginary journey this week. And please, if you have any tips or resources for any of my dream spots or any places you think I should add to my list, let me know! Also, if anyone has advice for traveling with small children, I’d love to hear from you!
*image from here.
