london

last thursday i left home at 4:45am to catch a flight to munich, then london.  sarah and i both traveled there to visit our dear sister/friend, alexa (and rami & cecelia).  we arrived at heathrow within about 30 minutes of each other (perfect timing, thanks to sarah having to switch planes after one was truck by lightening!).  

alexa picked us up & brought us home where we grabbed some lunch, threw on our sneakers & took off on a 5-mile walk.  the weather was absolutely gorgeous- warm & sunny - and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

one thing i love about greater-london is all of the green, open space.  alexa & rami live in the 'burbs technically, and yet they've got these pastures within walking distance of their home.

at the other end of the pasture we found this lively pub, packed with people enjoying a mid-afternoon brew.  of course, we had to join them!

we sat in the back garden and enjoyed our beverages while catching up.

on the way back home, we passed through more pastures...

...as well as interesting devices intended to allow people to pass through while keeping the cows in!

the next day we took the train into london for a day of sight-seeing, with more gorgeous weather.

cecelia on the train

we headed to the market, where we picked up some incredible fish & chips which we enjoyed in the park.

we took a long walk down the thames

the underwhelming london bridge

we arrived at the tower of london in time to catch a beefeater's tour.

our beefeater tour guide

after our tour we enjoyed roaming the grouns, which were quite beautiful & rich in history.

beefeater's homes- they still live inside the tower!

cecelia takes a nap

the raven's wings are clipped to ensure they never leave (as legend goes, if the ravens leave the tower, the kingdom will fall).

cecelia was kept occupied by touring the towers (princess towers, we called them), and eating ice cream.

ice cream cures all ills

tower bridge

the next morning we were treated to rami's pancakes for breakfast.

rami & cecelia in the kitchen

cecelia was mostly interested in the chocolate chips, though she did eat lots of pancakes as well!

trying to fit both hand & fist

cradling her chocolate chips

on a chocolate-induced high

after breakfast we loaded into the car & headed for cambridge.  there, we spent a very nice (though cold!) afternoon lunching in a pub, walking, talking, and shopping.

incredible tree in cambridge

the university at cambridge has a beautiful campus with plenty of giant, gothic buildings to admire...

...and even some secret gardens to explore.

after saturday in cambridge, it was time to explore more of downtown london.  we took the train into parliament, landing us directly in front of big ben.

as you may have heard, there've been lots of protests taking place in front of parliament.  luckily they were quite calm when we passed, resting in their tents.

big ben with the london eye in back

we walked by westminster abbey-- this was a must, with the wedding of kate & william fast approaching!  you wouldn't believe all of the wedding-related stuff that's being sold in every shop.

beautiful westminster abbey

double decker 

we headed to buckingham palace via st. james' park.  the gardens were all in bloom which was a big change from my last visit there, on a freezing cold december day.

buckingham palace entrance

from there we continued on through several beautiful, up-scale neighborhoods.

we eventually made it to harrod's, but by then we were so exhausted we headed straight through to the tea house!

too tired to shop

instead of shopping, we sat down to rest our feet & enjoy an english 'cream tea.'  this is served with scones, clotted cream & jam.  by far the best scones i've had-- delish!

after tea, we walked through a few more neighborhoods to meet up with rami & cecelia before heading home.

monday began in richmond, a 15 minute bus-ride from alexa & rami's house.  we enjoyed peeking into the small shops, and walking along the river.

alexa & cecelia met us there for lunch, and then a game of tag in the park.

after lunch it was time for cecelia's ballet class, where we met her turkish friend, alize!  they were both pretty darn cute in their ballet outfits.

ballerinas

tuesday was our last full day.  we took a drive to hampton court palace (home to henry viii), where we spent the day wandering the beautiful, extremely well-preserved rooms, and getting lost in history.  if you read philippa gregory's historical fiction, this place is a treat!

the grounds surrounding the palace were amazing... and, the perfect place for another game of tag!

cecelia, in her cinderella gown at the palace

there was a maze, and some enormous gardens.

outside the palace, we saw this heard of very large deer feeding nearby.  incredible!

it was a fabulous trip & visit, which has only left me feeling homesick and wanting more time with family & friends!  luckily, verna's visit is not far off, and spring is here.  hooray for april!