On the Town

Yesterday we spent some time on Portobello Road near Mandy's flat. It is this great place where on Saturdays there is a huge outdoor marketplace. Antiques, food, fruits & Veggies, clothes - you name it you can find it there. According to Mandy it is evern bigger most weekends, but since this is a holiday weekend it was not as full as usual. It was nice and I bought a cool t-shirt from this vendor who designs and makes his own products.

Last night Andy Mandy & I went out on the town. We were advised to try this small place near Soho square, which was nice but completely packed. It was in the basement of a small building and Andy's friend told us that we just should go in as if we had been there before. Very strange, but it worked. The doorman didn't even blink. But since it was so busy we had one drink there and moved on and found this small club that was playing rockabilly music. It wasn't live music, but the DJ's were really into it and played some great music. We danced late into the night and had a lot of fun.

London part two

It has been a hectic few days of touring London. On Wednesday we went to Trafalgar Square and saw the statute of Lord Nelson. We then went inside the National Gallery - the first picture, and saw a wonderful Velasquez exhibit. After, we went on a pub tour with a classmate of Andy's - Michael. It was great fun.

On Thursday went to the Tower of London. The second picture is of the White Tower. It was interesting to hear the history of the Tower and see some of the buildings. We were not able to see the Crown Jewels because there was a huge line to get in. After that we went to the Tate Modern and saw the slide exhibit there. It was really neat and they have a great collection of Modern art.

Today we went to the British Library and the British Museum. The Library was incredible and we were able to see some illuminated manuscripts and a special exhibition of maps of London. The British Museum was amazing, but it was hard to take it all in. Every room was packed with these amazing artifacts, and it was surprising that not everything is behind glass or barriers, so you can go right up to these marble busts that are thousands of years old.

Boxing Day

Yesterday was Boxing Day here in London and many museums and tourist areas were closed. We took a boat ride on the Thames and saw many of the sites we hope to visit. We saw the London Eye, St. Paul's, the Tate Modern, and the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. It has been pretty comfortable weather but damp.

We spent the afternoon at the Globe Theater. It was very impressive and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. After that we walked across the Millenium Bridge and took a bus through town to get back to Mandy's - through a very busy Picadilly Circus and Oxford Street, by Hyde Park and on to North Kensington.

Chrsitmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve in London. We arrived safely around 9 AM and it took some time to get through the lines to check our passports and wait for our luggage, so it was about noon before we finally arrived at Mandy and Andy's flat.

Everyone was tired from the trip and mom and I took a little nap before lunch. After, we went to Westminster Abbey for the Christmas Eve service. By the time we arrived it was standing room only, but we got close to the altar and the choir was wonderful. We went back to the flat for dinner and Mandy, Andy & I went out to their friend Michael's home for a Christmas Eve gathering. It was a great time. There were a few other classmates of Andy's there, along with their friends. We had mulled wine and mince pies and we sang and danced into the night.

I hope you all are having a good Christmas!

Puppy love

Puppy pictures! I was trying to get my webcam to work today and found these old pictures of Oscar. What a cute puppy he was. Mandy- remember when he would shake when you came over? And hide behind my legs? He was such a sweet little pup. He is a sweet dog now only with less shaking and more shedding.