Ella does London without a Pushchair
On Saturday, the Cafe Bebe Family braved ridiculously unseasonable temps (29 degrees in Peterborough while we were waiting for our train) to venture down to London for an over-night excursion. We were going to be attending a blogger event for the Lego-Duplo Experts (of which we are a part) at Westfield Shopping Centre in West London on Sunday. Lego-Duplo was kind enough to put us up for the night in London which we thoroughly enjoyed (thank you Lego-Duplo).
As we would be hoofing it around and about London on Saturday and Sunday, we were trying to keep luggage and accessories to a minimum thanks to my 30 weeks pregnant state and the inferno temperatures. Plus as the London Underground on the weekend can be a nightmare at best, we thought it best to forgo the use of a pushchair for Ella for the first time. In fairness, we don’t use the pushchair very much at all for her anymore. With this independence, Ella has actually become a better listener and generally is more enjoyable whilst out and about. Amazing how that happens! But, I’ve never attempted LONDON sans pushchair. This would be the ultimate test. Train, tube, walking…would it work?
In fact, it worked FAMOUSLY! Ella was OUTSTANDING! Negotiating “hes-ca-lators”, crowds of people, tube platforms and crowded carriages, Ella didn’t miss a beat. And there was virtually no shouting on our behalf! We allowed her a bit of freedom to trot along at her pace without holding hands and she responded by staying close and following directions. I was so very proud of her.
Ella was mostly interested in standing on the tube carriages. She didn’t want to sit next to Mummy, no way! She wanted to stand and hold onto the poles like Daddy. So we let her. And she was fine! Granted, even though it was a weekend, the Tube cars weren’t too crowded so we could afford her this bit of freedom. She was an expert at “minding the gap” by the end of our journey and only needed to be carried (by Daddy mind you) on a handful of occasions. I really was impressed with what Ella was capable of given a bit of freedom and responsibility. Ella was particularly keen to have a “ticket” to go through the barriers on the entrances and exits to the various Tube Stations on the lines. We gave Ella one of the train tickets to use but wouldn’t it be great if there was a “mini-Oyster card” for the littlies?? If any Londoners can tell me if this exists, I WANT ONE!
We have discovered, after a very positive experience in London this weekend that Ella is more than capable of being trusted to be on the Tube and other public transport in and around London. This gives me a lot of confidence for any future ventures (as long as there isn’t a lot of walking on either end of Tube journeys!) and shows me how very much our little miss is growing up! Sniff, I’m one proud Mama, that’s for sure. Now, when can we go back to London?? That might not be until Bebe makes an appearance but we’ll be much more confident about any future excursions, that’s for sure. How about you? Do you let your children negotiate the Tube and other public transport in and around London? Have you experienced any NIGHTMARE situations that have made a big impact on your decisions?
(After all of that independence, within about 10 minutes of sitting on the train for our return journey home on Sunday afternoon, Ella was zonked out on my lap! Independence has its benefits…for parents!)
Tenerife Excursions- Must Cat catamaran
On our family holiday to Tenerife, courtesy of Lowcostholidays, we were given the opportunity to fill some of our week with excursions in the area. This was very appealing to us as, never having been to Tenerife and not speaking much Spanish, we were sort of like fish out of water. Having some outings planned and arranged for us allowed us to manage our time and fill our days with enough to keep us busy yet not exhaust us!
The Must Cat catamaran journey was highly recommended and although we were a bit wary of the burbling sea (and possibly spending the journey with your head hanging over the side) we went for it. We picked up motion-sickness tablets for Mark and I had Sea Bands to keep me on the straight and narrow so we hoped for the best. The Must Cat catamaran office was manned by 2 English women which was very reassuring to a relatively non-Spanish-speaking family. The exuberant crew was made up, mostly of tanned and wind-swept “surfer-dude-type” men along with two young women who were studying the pilot whales and dolphins on the route. We were welcomed aboard along with at least 50 other passengers and as Jack Johnson music played, we pulled out of the harbour.
We embarked on the afternoon cruise which was scheduled to last 4.5 hours (54€ per adult, Ella was free) and included a free bar (soft drinks + beer & wine) and free buffet (salads, cold meat and fish); ice cream was extra! We were told by the “guide” that we might be able to see pilot whales and/or dolphins but there was no guarantee. As we moved along the coastline of the Tenerife south coast (including Los Christianos and Playa des Americas), the glorious sunshine, soothing waves and chilled out music put everyone at ease. I adored it! Thankfully I didn’t feel any nausea and it was so relaxing that Ella ended up falling asleep for at least an hour!
The captain spotted a family of pilot whales about midway through our journey so we followed them around (carefully of course) for a while. It was amazing to see such beautiful creatures up close and personal, albeit a safe distance from the catamaran. There were mothers & babies and we got a great lesson on the lives of pilot whales from the crew. They were exceptionally knowledgeable which was wonderful. Ella missed out on the pilot whales as she was sleeping so we didn’t tell her about them when she finally woke up!
Eventually, we reached a little cove/bay where there were a few scuba boats anchored. We anchored as well and everyone got the chance to jump in the sea for a bit of a swim. We were told that there were often sea turtles in the bay so to keep our eyes open for them. I went into the water with Ella first but it was a bit “nippy” (it is the Atlantic Ocean after all!) and rather choppy so being pregnant and not the world’s strongest swimmer, I didn’t feel too confident about Ella being with me as she bobbed around with her arm bands on. We clambored back onto the catamaran while Mark had a go at scuba diving (for the somewhat ridiculous additional cost of 15€ for about 5 minutes of scuba) and did manage to see the sea turtle.
Our return journey was very chilled and lovely. Ella and I managed to steal a seat on the side of the catamaran for a bit so she could hang her feet over and enjoy seeing the sea. We did find 4 dolphins on the return which impressed Ella immensely.
All in all, the Must Cat catamaran adventure was by far MY favourite excursion. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone visiting the south coast of Tenerife. It was definitely worth the 54€ fee. The only thing I wasn’t particularly keen on was that, once on board, you were presented with several opportunities to buy different things. There was a videographer taking footage of the trip and for 25€ you could purchase the DVD; we opted out! We also had our picture taken when boarding the Must Cat and part way through the journey, the photographer arrived with prints of the photos which we could purchase (1 = 7€, 2 = 10€, 3= 15€). We did purchase those (at the beginning of our holiday after all…it was a good picture as well). The scuba was the biggest waste of time/money (15€ for 5 min) so I wouldn’t recommend doing that.
We returned to the harbour about 5 hours after setting off, very happy, not burnt and ready to have dinner! Must Cat was definitely a hit with the whole family and was a great way to spend the afternoon in Tenerife. Thank you to Lowcostholidays for making the excursion arrangements for us.
**Lowcostholidays sponsored our family holiday to Tenerife including several excursions in the area. My reviews, opinions and recommendations are entirely my own.**
Can you survive without internet for a week?
Last week the Cafe Bebe family went on a holiday to Tenerife (in case you missed a post or seven). My BlackBerry/mobile provider is O2. I checked with a numpty young associate in one of the O2 stores to find out if I needed to do anything or pay for anything that would allow me to use my BB on holiday in Tenerife. He said, “Nah…it will work fine there. You’ll pay a lot for data but just find a wifi place or use BBM and that’s free.” Yes, because at the age of 40 I have all of 2 contacts on BBM so that will come in handy!
It seems that what I should have done was purchase a “bolt-on” for the week that I was in Tenerife in order to partially use my BlackBerry for communication and checking emails. However, numpty-head Young Associate of the Month couldn’t manage to educate me about that. Thankfully, Twitter came to my rescue and told me to be sure to turn off my data roaming before leaving the UK or I would have paid approximately £8 billion for using my phone in Tenerife. (I love you Twitter) Thus, I was forced to learn the answer to the age old question: Can you survive without internet for a week? That answer is: YES!
Unfortunately the Costa del Silencio, where we were staying, was not chock-a-block with wifi and there was really no such thing as FREE wifi (at least that I could find). When we ventured along the boardwalk/harbour area, I did find several “hot spots” where you could pay to connect to the internet but that would have required me to spend periods of time camped out in assorted restaurants, missing out on the point of the holiday…to spend time with my daughter and husband. I had an irrational fear that if I clicked on the Data tab on my BlackBerry that suddenly 18,000 emails, texts and messages would come flooding in and I’d be charge £8,000. So I left the data button in the OFF position and got on with our holiday.
I did manage to find the “good, old-fashioned” internet cafe around the corner from our hotel, however. On 3 occasions, I spent about an hour or so checking emails, Twitter and the blog just to keep the numbers down and traffic up. I had the forward-planning taken care of and had scheduled guest posts from amazing bloggers so Cafe Bebe was not vacant in my absence (thank you to @EnglishMum, @MammasaurusBlog, @Maris_World and @MummyMatters) and I was able to publish one post from abroad for #SilentSunday. I’m sure my “traffic” dropped a teeny bit; I’m sure my Klout score dropped; I’m sure some fair-weather fans dashed off to more vivid pastures. But you know what? That’s ok!
In the 7 days that I was effectively, off-line, I read 2 books (including the popular “One Day” which pissed me RIGHT OFF!), wasn’t glued to Twitter to make it through the day, forgot about the rest of the world, focused on my family and only used my BlackBerry to take pictures! It was liberating. And I tell you, my husband, in particular, was VERY pleased. He said to me, “You’re glued to THAT THING (my BlackBerry). It’s nice to see you NOT jumping every time it pings!” I took this to heart. Does it really matter if I respond IMMEDIATELY to everything that comes through the phone? Does it really matter what my Klout score is? Will my readers fly the coop if I’m not posting every single day? NO!
I still feel a compulsion to check everything now that we are back home. I am well and truly addicted. But part of my part-time, work-at-home job is social media. I do HAVE to do some social media every day. But it is possible to survive without internet for a week. And I’m glad that I was forced to. I need to do this more often. Shut down in the evenings (which I have been doing for a while now), shut down on the weekends. Life is more important. Twitter, blogging and rankings will always be there and will fluctuate with the wind. What really matters is the people who feature on this blog. So thank you Tenerife. Your lack of wifi was a blessing in disguise! Can you survive without internet for a week? Why not give it a go? You just might see what you’re missing out on! This was me, enjoying being internet-free…not such a bad thing!
Cafe Bebe’s Tenerife Highlights
Last week the Cafe Bebe Family set off on an amazing adventure to Tenerife thanks to Lowcostholidays. We experienced so many wonderful things, saw beautiful sights, soaked up plenty of southern rays and had an amazing time as a family. What more could you ask for?
We took off from Gatwick airport and had no glitches or troubles at all in parking our car, making our way to the terminal and getting onto the plane. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a smooth passage through security and onto a plane! Remarkable! We made the HIGHLY ADVISABLE investment of a portable DVD player to keep Ella entertained on the journey which made the 3+ hour flight entirely more bearable for a 3 year old and her 40-something parents. If you are venturing on a journey, GET ONE! (Cafe Bebe Tip Number ONE!)
Unfortunately, we arrived in Tenerife quite late (9:30pm) but had a private driver to transfer us to our hotel in the Costa Del Silencio, the Ten Bel Aborada. It was the first time that I’ve ever had my name written on a sign upon arrival at an airport. How ridiculous that this pleased me so! We checked in without incident but had missed dinner so we resorted to searching the area for a place to eat after checking into our room. I managed, with my pitiful Spanish, to order us a hamburguesa, a bocadillo con jamon y queso and papas normal (a hamburger, ham & cheese toastie & chips w/ gorgeous dips including garlic mayo- my new favourite condiment!). I was rather proud!
I will be reporting more about our hotel, our excursions and our adventures but I wanted to share with you the highlights of our trip according to the 3 members of the Cafe Bebe family!
Mark: Husband, Father, All Around Good Egg-
Mark’s favourite parts of our Tenerife holiday were our excursion up to Mount Teide, relaxing (he does have a LOT of stress in his job…he enjoyed the Sangria on holiday!) and watching Ella dance at the Kiddie Disco at the Ten Bel Aborada each night
Karin: Wife, Mother, Social Media Maven-
My favourite parts of the holiday were the Must Cat catamaran voyage, the views from Mount Teide and Ella dancing and swimming.
Ella- Daughter, Toddler, Drama Queen Extraordinaire-
According to Ella, her favourite parts of our Tenerife holiday were the water park (Aqualand) and the bus rides! Isn’t it amazing how insignificant something has to be to impress a 3 year old!
We have returned a bit worse for the wear (I’ve managed to acquire a kidney infection while it appears that Ella is exhausted & has a bit of a bug) but that in no way changes the fact that the Cafe Bebe family had a simply outstanding holiday in Tenerife. More to come this week…in the meantime, have a look at Lowcostholidays to see the amazing places you can visit for your next family adventure. Thank you Tenerife…we were very happy to holiday with you!
**Disclosure: Lowcostholiday sponsored our holiday to Tenerife. All opinions, highlights, words and recommendations are mine and mine alone!**
Holiday Pool Observations
The Cafe Bebe Family has just returned from a 7 day Lowcostholidays adventure to the glorious Spanish island of Tenerife. I’ve never been on an “all-inclusive” holiday before, probably down to the fact that I lived 34 years in the US and the idea of travelling to a European All-Inclusive resort isn’t quite what most Americans do. Americans tend to spend summer holidays at their cottage or travelling around the US but that’s a whole other post, isn’t it?
Whilst lounging about the beautiful salt-water pool at the Ten Bel Aborada in the Costa Del Silencio, I made a few observations that I thought I might share with you. Tell me if I’m wrong!
- Worrying about your body is not necessary. All body shapes, types, colours and hirsuitness are welcome. You should not worry about sucking in your belly as you walk around. No one else will so why stress yourself out?
- There is no need to tan ahead of time. You will fit right in if you are as white as the driven snow. In fact, you are expected to be as white as the driven snow in order to turn the requisite shade of hot pink that denotes, “I am on holiday and I live in England/Germany.”
- Sunscreen is only required if you are a paranoid woman who does not want to age before her time. It is preferable to tan yourself to a mahogany-like shade in order to achieve the leathery, saggy, rough skin that is required of holiday-makers.
- If you do choose to apply sunscreen, do so in a haphazard fashion that will allow you to have bizarrely placed red spots all over your body. Be sure to forget to put sunscreen on your feet AND wear sandals everywhere so that you end up with stark white reminders of why you should never spend time in the sun.
- In order to get the best sun lounger with the lengthiest rays of sunshine, remember to lay out your beach towels either before you go to bed at midnight/1am/2am or set your alarm in order to wake up at the crack of dawn to lay your claim. Otherwise you might have to sit at a slightly less appropriate sun lounger and you won’t be able to increase your risk of skin cancer as much.
- Be sure to bring young babies and toddlers to the pool, set up camp and forget to put sunscreen on your children or clothe them with hats, sunglasses and/or UV suits. In fact, just let them toddle around the pool in a nappy or swim bottoms so that you can have a family sunburn together.
- If your children are old enough to paddle in the pool on their own, be sure to be as far away from them as possible so that you can’t actually see what they are doing or if they might be in trouble. In fact, if your children have some sort of life preserver/swim aid on, they will be just fine on their own. If you do remember to check on their safety/security/swim ability/sunburn, please saunter down to the pool without urgency, shouting expletives and holding a cigarette.
- Be sure to allow your school age children to flounce about in just a swim bottom even when they are beginning to sprout breasts. You may as well start at an early age. The same applies to any age woman, as a matter of fact, including the women who have obviously long ago abandoned the support of a good bra. Saggy breasts of all size and shape are more than welcome at any pool in Europe.
- Be sure to eat like it’s going out of style or like you won’t be fed for at least 2 more hours because you probably won’t be fed for at least 2 more hours. The same goes for drink whether it be soft drinks or alcoholic drinks. The object should be to accumulate as many cups as possible in order to re-create your own Leaning Tower of Pisa.
- Remember that the pool area at night becomes just like any nightclub where you might live. Relationships are born and die a death within the space of 5-7 days, all enhanced and/or devastated by the light of the pool.
Do you have any others to add? Am I wrong? Or have I sussed just how all-inclusive holidays work in just one attempt? I will be reporting more about our holiday and excursions over the course of the week. I highly recommend Tenerife for your next family holiday. We had a simply brilliant time! Thank you Lowcostholidays!
**The Cafe Bebe Family were fortunate enough to be treated to our all-inclusive family holiday at the Ten Bel Aborada hotel in Tenerife. The words, opinions and observations are entirely my own.**
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Welcome to Cafe Bebe...a tale of the adventures of two parents who found each other across an ocean, learned how to parent thanks to a toddler called Ella and a bebe called Sam while maintaining their sanity...just. Subscribe Here!
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