Europe Part 1

Yes, I know it's been almost 2 weeks since I've been home, but I've been busy!

Brian and I had such a great time in Europe, traveling with Mandy and Andy around London, Paris, Prague and Berlin.

This is the first leg of the trip.

We went to the Tower of London. The crown jewels were amazing, and there is so much history to learn. We also went to the British Museum.

Tower Bridge:



Brian and I on the Thames -



Now Paris - we stayed very near Notre Dame, and went inside on the first day. It was cloudy outside, but the inside is so beautiful.


We went to the Rodin museum. It is housed in an old mansion and has a lovely garden. This was one of my favorite sculptures - The Burghers of Calais


And of course, we saw the Eiffel Tower. It is lovely, and so much larger than you would expect.



We also went to the Louvre, Sacre Coeur and the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris, so much more to come....

London highlights

A view of the city from St. Paul's Cathedral

Inside the V&A cast room. These are plaster casts of various things, including a huge cast of Trajen's column. 

Andy & Mandy took me out for burgers and malts at the Lucky Seven

It has a very retro-type American design, and very good food.

 I've been traveling around the city and seen so much that I missed on the last trip. This evening, Mandy and I went to Chinatown and had these delicious dumplings. I've also been to the Tate Britain, the Tate Modern, St. Paul's Cathedral,  the British Museum, the V&A, and strolled around Camden, which is near Mandy and Andy's flat. We also had a Thanksgiving feast with some of Andy's classmates with turkey, stuffing and even pumpkin pie - (a feat since canned pumpkin is nearly impossible to find!) I miss Oscar, but hear he is doing fine up in the northwoods, getting spoiled I'm sure.

I'm going to London!

I just bought my tickets for Thanksgiving in London with my sister and brother-in-law! It is a few months away, but I am already excited to go and visit them again.

Here are some pictures from the last time I was up north visiting the family:

The little girl in green pants is Lily, my cousin's little girl. She has grown so much since last time I saw her.


Cute Ailee!

Dylan posing for the camera

Here is an Oscar picture for Mandy - Oscar and yellow:

Home Sweet Home

We arrived back in town today and I am glad to be home. London was great fun, and it was so nice to see Andy and Mandy again, but it is always nice to come home. Oscar was very glad to see me this afternoon and he is happily sleeping next to me as I type.

I feel that I saw just a glimpse of London, and I am excited to start planning my next trip there. I feel that since I have free accomodations for now I need to make the most of the opportunity and will visit as much as possible.

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!