Holly House Hotel

For our time in London, we wanted to stay in a hotel right in the center of town so we could walk around and see the sites. 
Our layover was only 21 hours long so we needed to make good use of our time. We decided to stay at a hotel right next to Victoria station. 



I searched online for good deals and a link for Holly House hotel came up.I had stayed there 2 years ago and it had worked out just fine. This time I needed to book enough space for 5 people. The website advertised a room that had 3 beds and a sofa bed. Sounded just fine. All this was for 23 pounds per person (@ $35) per night. Not super cheap but for being right downtown--and in London--it was not bad at all!


When we got to the hotel we were directed down the street just a bit. There are several hotels in a row on one street that are all owned by the same company.


The stairway was tiny and a bit difficult to navigate with luggage but we managed and were pleasantly surprised to open the door onto our little room. There was a bed at the back, a bunk in the center and another double bed right near the door. It was completely adequate.
 

 The beds were very comfortable and there were 2 TVs--one next to each large bed with cable TV so we were able to relax that evening with mom and dad watching at one end of the room and kids at the other.

Online reviews had claimed that the trains were very loud but although I heard them a bit just before sleeping and upon waking (they didn't keep me awake), I found the sound comforting.

The only draw back to the room was the teeny tiny bathroom. You can see from the photo just how tiny. That is the door frame on the right of the photo. There was just enough space to sit down.

You can see the other half of the sink from the other picture. And right next to it is the shower. But in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't bad at all.

Continental breakfast the next morning was a bit rushed and not very filling--we were starving just a couple hours later--but it served its purpose as well.

I would definitely recommend this hotel if anyone were looking for an inexpensive, simple place to stay while enjoying the sites of London.*
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 Exactly One Year Ago: Electicity Woes and Be Prepared

*I was not asked to do this review nor was I compensated for it. But, if Holly House would like to send me a discount coupon for next time I'm in London, I wouldn't turn it down. :)

London Fun

Lame title, I know. I'm rushed and hurried this morning and know that if I don't get pictures up today, I'll fall horribly behind and that will be the end of it all!

[Update: I never did get my post done yesterday morning. Trying again....]

After arriving at Heathrow airport Saturday evening, we quickly hurried to a computer so we could check in for our flight the next day. The earlier you check in the greater the chance you can all sit together. --With five of us traveling I wanted to get good seats.

After that, we made our way to the underground (AKA the subway) and traveled for 1 hour to central London.

We checked into our hotel and had dinner at a nice little family pub (restaurant) before getting a good night's sleep. I'll post pictures of our hotel tomorrow.

 

In the morning we bundled up in our sweaters, scarves and jackets and headed out to explore London center. We were so close that we could walk from our hotel door to Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and so much more.

Sadly though, our poor, thin Africanized blood could not take the cold. 

We made it as far as Big Ben before the kids called it quits. 

We decided to hail a taxi and so a drive around a couple blocks which would take us by the few sites we hadn't seen yet like Trafalgar Square, St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. It took us about 10-15 more minutes of walking but we eventually found a taxi.

 

Because we were in London on a Sunday, big portions of streets were blocked off but we were still able to get a nice view of the buildings. Our taxi driver was really nice and explained things as we drove around.
We were on our way to Buckingham palace when we came upon the courtyard where the mounted Queen's guards were about to be relieved by a new group. Our taxi wasn't allowed to stop but he dropped us off and drove around the block a time or two. 
We watched the guards parade in from the street and then line up with the other horses in front of the Horse Guard building. It was very impressive and such a treat.

As with the case of Tom's jacket which I wrote about last time, I'm often amazed by God's timing and little treats he gives us. If we had continued walking, or if the streets had all been open, we may not have been on that particular street at that particular time and we would have missed out on seeing this extra, but very special ceremony.

After the taxi dropped us off at our hotel we gathered our things, walked back to the underground, navigated an unexpected track closure, got to the airport with just enough time for brunch and then walked down to our gate just as the plane began boarding. Perfection!

 

Travel Fun

These are the faces that I said goodbye to last Thursday. All the kids and our staff gathered next to the driveway to wave and see us off.

I'm not sure how much the kids understood about our trip since we go on a big drive every week for groceries. 

It was funny how one of the nannies asked me to have a chat with the kids and let them know that they still had to obey even though mommy and daddy would be gone. She was worried the kids would misbehave if they thought mom and dad wouldn't be there to enforce the law. The missionaries who are looking after things in our stead promised to uphold the discipline standard. 

Everything went really well on our bus trip aside from having left behind Tom's jackets. We tried looking for a new coat for Tom at the thrift stores in Lusaka (it's summer so no shops would carry them) but there weren't even any used coats available.

As we left the thrift store, I remembered that a visitor, Angela, who had been at the orphanage was going to be heading back down to Lusaka that very day. We quickly called our friends and they had a staff member run down to the bus station. Angela arrived in Lusaka one hour before we had to leave for the airport. Wasn't that an amazing piece of timing?

The airport stretch of the trip went well despite the incredibly long line after checking in to get through immigration and security. We laughed with other passengers that this huge delay was for only 3 flights. Imagine what it would be like if they were a large international airport.

We managed to get 5 seats in the same row so we could all see each other and communicate along the way. The kids were thrilled to watch movies and TV shows. I don't think they slept at all for the whole 10 hour flight.

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about our London day. God did another mini-miracle of timing that day too.

Checking in

Hi everyone! I know I've been an absentee blogger but things were crazy this week!

We are off on our trip. Everything got packed (except Tom's jacket!) and we are in pretty good spirits.

We survived (somewhat) the 16 hour bus ride and are running around Lusaka today finishing up last minute business errands.

Please pray for our safe travels on our next two plane rides--both are 10 hours long--and our time in London. Pray for good weather as we do not have much in the way of cold-weather clothing and our poor blood has thinned out over the last nine years.

Please also pray for nine month old Jack. When I left the orphanage he was sick. He'd had a fever for 5 days. We had treated him for malaria but apparently the medicine didn't work because a blood slide done yesterday showed he still had malaria. He's now on his second round of malaria meds and a course of antibiotics. A lot of stress for a little body.

Our friends arrived Tuesday morning to look after the orphanage along with our current long-term volunteer and the hand over of responsibilities went smoothly. They even commented that we seemed very organized. Score!

Well, that is it for now. If I get a chance at the airport on Sunday I'll post pictures of our journey so far. I got a lovely picture of all the little ones saying goodbye yesterday. *Sniff* I'm gonna miss those guys.

See you on the other side!

Randomness in My City This Sunday

I took a few random shots of things that were going on in my house today.

Tom got ready to go out to preach this morning. He normally prefers teaching to preaching holding classes twice a week in our home but every once in a while he'll do a spot of guest preaching. 

I made sure he was well-fed with coffee cake and decaf coffee.

All this stuff has to make its way into that blue suitcase and the small carry-on buried underneath the pile. That's one of my goals for today. If I actually get it done it may be a first ever for me since I normally pack minutes before I leave. We don't leave until Thursday.

We have friends coming to look after things for us while we're in the States. Because of that, our house is getting an extra scrubbing. It's a good thing they don't read this blog--they won't know how long it took to get things so shiny and neat. I am really happy with how this shelf turned out. 

As a side note, that wildlife picture up there is one I crossstiched. It took me two years.

And, of course, I have to throw in a shot of my babe. He was trying to smile around the huge bite of pineapple in his mouth.

Hurry now and visit the others who are posting photos of their Sundays at Unknown Mami's site. There are some beautiful photos out there. 

Exactly One Year Ago: Excuse Me Ma'am, Your Hyperbole is Showing

Fab Friday Foto(s) XXVII

Happy One Month Birthday, Nicholas!

Nicholas is really starting to perk up now and look around. He eats 3 ounces every three hours and sleeps well too.

Still working....

As we continue to pack and prepare for our three week trip I'm reminded how we  all prioritize differently what is important to pack. The other day, my good bloggy friend from A Musing Mom

wrote about her husband's brilliant idea to give their kids a discarded piece of equipment. I wrote a small story in her comments:

Funny story: One of the activities that Tom and I did in our newlywed year was dismantle electronic equipment like VCRs. I have no idea why! Tom collected all the transistors and diodes (I hate that I know the names) and separated them into little bags. Screws of all sizes--all separated into bags. Then, we left Mexico suddenly with no money and very few possessions. The one thing we did have--an entire suitcase of those little bags. It was years before Tom finally threw them out or sold them for a quarter or something.

Malaria update: I managed a full day at my desk yesterday! Hooray and Hallelujah! Of course by the end of the day I felt sick again but a good night of sleep revived me completely. Today we had no electricity until 2 PM (it went off at 9 PM yesterday) so I mainly did organizing and packing but now I'm back to work at my desk.

Exactly One Year Ago: Invited to a Ball