There’s a lot of the world for all of us to explore. We departed for London on the first day of summer vacation for a starter Europe trip. We arrived early in the morning and it did seem like a long way to come for chicken and waffles.

It was too early to check in, so we thought a Big Bus double-decker tour would be a good way to see some sights. This turned out to be a bad idea for a number of reasons. First, within a few minutes of waiting for the first bus, Grace appeared to be an easy mark for a guy dressed head-to-toe in black on an e-bike. He was coming straight for us on the sidewalk and then tried to snatch Grace’s phone right from her hands. Lucky for him he was unsuccessful because Olivia and I spent the rest of the day plotting our revenge.

Due to jet lag, face-melting heat, and occasional hunger, the absorption rate of history, arts, and general tourism was very, very low. It’s starting to cool and we’re getting adjusted. Some highlights so far were red phone booths, Covent Garden, and dinner at Dishoom.

We’re gearing up for a double-dose of culture tomorrow.

Plan B for spring break was a last minute change from a week in LA. Five days in Maui was just enough time for the kids to enjoy spring break, especially as school has been a bit of grind. This was our first time staying at this resort, though Steve and Vickie were married here 21 years ago.

It’s true the White Lotus music played in my mind when I recognized different scenes and artifacts. The kids hadn’t seen it so they have no clue. We had no agenda on this trip and Lucas and I arrived a little under the weather. Any ambitions of snorkeling Molokini, scaling Haleakala, or zip lining faded quickly. For such a short trip, I’m totally cool with just hanging out.

Although we made the most of the ocean, pool, and wonderful food at the resort, mistakes were made. The lessons learned were: you can’t spend hours at a mall with 12 stores; Tommy Bahamas is the Bubba Gumps of Hawaii; no matter how good Morimotos is, 8:15pm island time is too late for dinner.

Olivia’s close friend and family from school were staying at their home nearby and they were very kind to invite us for lunch. Olivia and Grace were lucky to have spent a few days at the end of last summer at their home. We all went to Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice, which was the best treat of the trip.

We made the most of our last day by trying boogie boarding. I scorpioned on my first ride and was badly damaged. Olivia, Lucas and Grace got some great rides, even if their facial expressions don’t match their true emotions. We had one last buffet to power us through the long trip home.

I’m so glad we took this trip as great memories were made and we’re still able to enjoy traveling together.

We were going to spend the week in Los Angeles for spring break, spending time with LA grandparents and uncle Dave. We were also going to use the opportunity to see some LA-area colleges for Olivia, but it turns out she’s not (currently) interested in those schools. In any case, we were overdue for a visit.

We stayed in Century City and some highlights included:

• Dinner at Chosun Galbee
• Lunch at Ann & Jeremy’s beautiful new home
• First ride ever in any Italian sports car
• First (and possibly last) hot pot experience