Are you having fun Daddy?
In the fall - Chrysler is going to import this Fiat 500 Convertible. Lulu has already laid claim to one. It is smaller than a Mini - but is taller for easy egress. It has an electric sliding cloth roof. It gets 40+ miles per gallon. It would go perfect with her new RayBans. Who is Ray Ban anyway?
Keith enjoys drinking Orangina - check this cab out.
Jack getting ready for lunch at the Rainforest.
Riding on the front seat on the top of one of London's double decker buses should be on everyone's bucket list.
Everybody knows about the famous "tube" - you are always within 300 yards of a subway station. From there you can go anywhere - even to the airport. If you buy an Oyster Card - the rides are deeply discounted. After about 3 rides a day - everything is free. We had a few left over Oyster Cards from the trip last year. You stick them in the vending machine - add a few pounds - and you are good to go.
The same Oyster Cards used on the subway work with the buses. When you get on the bus - you swipe the card reader and away you go. Again - after about 3 rides - the day is free. You do not need to swipe the card to get off.
To me - there is no greater attraction than riding the front seat on the top of a double decker bus. You are 20 feet above all the action - the corners seem steeper - the wrecks seems even closer. The view in all directions is fantastic. Jack loved it. He can stand - hold onto the rail and "direct" the bus any way he wants. One can buy an unlimited weekly pass and just "ride like the wind."
With 6 people traveling together - it is sometimes cheaper to just take a cab. It certainly saves the feet - but depending on traffic - it is not as quick as the subway. The drivers go through a SPECIAL three year training program that includes learning all the streets - restaurants - theatres - etc. The best part is that they speak perfect English - are very polite - and do not expect a tip. They give you the correct change promptly - they don't fool with the meter - and are genuinely courteous when you give them a small tip - usually just rounding up to the next pound or so.
Jack has already developed the lingo quickly, "Let's take a cab!" Freedom for him is not being tied down to ride.
We had lunch at the Rainforest Restaurant - a place for kids to pretend they are in the jungle with animals. The most interesting thing to me is the method of billing. The law states the waiter must bring the credit card machine to your table. Your card never leaves your sight or site. Who makes these insanely simple practical rules?
Today - it is a ride on the giant London Eye Ferris Wheel - then the play Billy Elliot at night. Jack and I will skip the play. Lulu's entire class is going.
Riding on top of double decker bus.
