Tennis and parks

So, our use of public transportation did not go quite as smoothly today. Last Saturday when Calvin was going to tennis, he was leaving from the hotel and Josh took him via subway without any problems. Today, I decided to take him and it appeared that going by bus from our flat was easier than the subway so that is what we did. Unfortunately, we ended up about a mile and a half from our actual destination with only 20 minutes to get there so we struck out on foot and walked FAST!  We made it in time but we were sweating and tired before Calvin even started his fast-paced lesson! Fortunately, he is tough and managed just fine. Gosh, it was fun to watch! This coach is fun and nice but works them hard.  Calvin played better than I have ever seen him play. This could be fun! He is loving it!  Coming back from tennis was no problem at all, we got on the right bus, made the appropriate transfer and made it home without any difficulty. We gave Max a little freedom today which also made him very happy, we gave him a few bucks and sent him around the corner to the grocery store on his own to pick up a couple of easy items! He loved it, did great and only came home with one pack of candy in addition to the things that he was sent to buy.  Josh and I tried out the liquor store again today. Yesterday, I just ran in and picked up a quick bottle of wine. Today, we spent a little time looking around. What a weird place this is. First of all, the place was packed, as it also was yesterday. They have a great selection and very descriptive tags in everything but beer is sold individually, by the bottle. So, all of the cases are open and you take however many you want. Most people were just buying 2-3 at a time. I don't know if this is because of lack of refrigerator space at home, lack of interest in imbibing in general or simply because more would be a lot to carry home.  One guy did have about 14 bottles, but again, all individually sold and at more than $2/piece! I think that will stick more with the wine that was just around $10-12/bottle.   After our shopping, we grabbed the kids and the dog and again, headed down the street to our closest park.  This time, we realized that the Royal National Park adjoins this park and we found oodles of hiking trails, woods to explore, creeks, and royal residences! There are four royal residences in this one park alone. We also found a beautiful little wooden building which houses the museum for the famous Swedish sculptor, Carl Edhs. Very fun day...