What Ana Does

Here are the details for where we stayed, ate and did in London this past weekend. You can read about the full trip here . Friday We took the Eurostar from Paris to London. It was about three hours and train travel is by far the most relaxing. However -- you have to arrive an hour early and go through customs and security, so it's not without aggravation. Book your tickets months out for the best rates.  I booked the Apex City of London Hotel and I can't recommend it more. The room size was great for the four of us, the water pressure of the shower was the best we're experienced in Europe and the staff were so helpful. I love this part of London; being so close to the Tower of London and river. Yes, it's a little east-side, but it's my favorite.  We ate a late lunch at Keepers , which is just around the corner. Because we've stayed in this neighborhood before, this was our fourth meal at this restaurant and it's always good. And they have Strongbow...

This weekend we were in London. We love London, and not just because we can understand the language and all the signs, menus, etc. Though, it's so nice to be in a country where there isn't a language barrier. We planned this trip months ago, with tickets on the Eurostar train and the Harry Potter Studio Tour in the Warner Brothers' lot just north of the city. All in celebration of David's birthday! Yay! Although the train turned out not to be the time-saving, aggravation-free mode of transportation we were anticipating, the weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday, once we arrived (the girls missed school), we walked the neighborhood and headed to St. Paul's to climb to the top. I didn't make it, thanks to my fear of heights or, more specifically, falling, but the rest of the family did and got some great photos. On Saturday, we spent the morning getting lost in Harrods, including buying a few souvenirs and holiday gifts. Then we had lunch with a colleague of...

Another Foggy, Misty Day in Paris 9:00am - coffee with some of the ladies from school -- including one other American. We discuss what kind of dinner we'll be creating tonight to simulate Thanksgiving. We gush about the smart friends who drove 45 minutes to the Paris Costco to buy stuffing and a few large pies. Why didn't we think about that?! My plan is to look for a pumpkin pie in some of the bakeries and international food shops in my neighborhood. Turkey is out, as they don't eat that bird here, but maybe chicken? 10:30am - a trip to three markets and nothing at all. Christmas food is everywhere, though. So I've changed to hamburgers -- because what's more American than hamburgers!? I thought briefly about buying a rotisserie chicken, but we're leaving tomorrow for the weekend in London and I didn't want to deal with all the leftovers. 11:00am - realizing that I haven't made really anything for Thanksgiving is years, as this is my mother-...

It's almost time to leave for my 30 minute walk down to the CrossFit gym I've been going to every Thursday for the last month or so ... My Nervous Feet Ready for Class And so it's this time of the day that I feel nervous and jittery,  as if I've had way too much coffee. But that's not why. For some reason (I have yet to figure out), going to this CrossFit class makes me extremely nervous. Every week. I try to distract myself on the walk down to the gym by listening to podcasts. And think about the tasks I need to complete on the way home -- usually picking up items for dinner. I also try to remind myself how great I feel after class -- because it's an amazing feeling. I feel strong! And the class isn't terribly hard, though the heavy weightlifting can be daunting. And even though it's taught in French, the coach knows to translate into English and I don't feel shy about asking for more information. He's really nice and has been he...

Want some hints on what to do while in Barcelona? Here are some details from our trip. You can read more about the trip here. We stayed at the Eric Vokel Gran Via SuitesGran Via . I like the apartment-style hotels if we're staying somewhere for more than a few days. There's extra room, in this case the girls got their own bedroom, and we can buy breakfast groceries so we're not starving (read: hangry) every morning. Thursday It was a quick trip from Paris (less than two hours). We checked into the hotel and they recommended some local restaurants and were to see a family-friendly Flamenco show.  We ate lunch at The Juice House , just a quick walk from the hotel.  Then walked over to the Place d'Espanya to pickup the Hop On Hop Off tour bus , so we could get fully-acquainted with the city. Well worth the money to drive around and see the big sights with the audioguide.  We did the full 'red line' circuit and ended back at the Place d' Espanya a...

Barcelona has it all, we discovered this long weekend. The ocean, a thriving city, ancient streets and modern areas. Plus, really good food everywhere you go. And that was just our impression after four days! Sure, touristy tapas restaurants and brightly lit bodegas were a plenty, but you can avoid them and easily find good restaurants and plenty to do. Before we left, we were constantly warned about the plentiful pickpockets and it was hard not to constantly worry about them as were were walking around the very crowded areas - it was a holiday weekend here in Europe; Toussaint in France, Los Santos in Spain or All Saints. We were lucky and didn’t have any experience with them. I kept my purse close to my body and zipped at all times, and David left his wallet in the safe and only carried cash and some cards in his front pocket. It worked for us. That's not the only thing we got lucky with ... We had perfect weather for our trip, despite my father’s repeated warnings about ...