Last Couple Days

My last couple of days in England were a combination of relaxation and busy times.  We spent a day at Dad & Jo's house so they could do some work.  It was nice to laze around for a day!

On Wednesday we made our way to London.  We went to visit with Jo's Nan (grandma), and had supper with Jo's parents.  It was nice to see them again.  In the evening I went with Dad and Jo to see Wicked!  It was my third time seeing the broadway show, and their first.  I loved every second of it, just as much as the other 2 times I saw it!  

On Thursday we met up with my step-brother Jesh and his girlfriend, Ariam.  We drove out to Stonehenge, which was a couple hours away.  I found it quite fascinating.  It was so nice to spend the time with Jesh and Ariam!  We went out for supper together as well, and ate at a great pizza place.  They do pizza by the metre!  It was delicious.

I had an uneventful trip home yesterday.  As amazing as my summer was, it feels pretty great to finally be at home!  Now it's time to rest, recuperate and spend time with friends and family before going back to work in a couple of weeks.

This will be the final post on this blog, since my Summer in Europe is finished!  It's hard to believe it's done.  Right now it feels a bit like it was a dream.  I guess it kind of was!  It was a dream come true!  Until next time, Europe!

Dereham, England - Part 3

Another lovely couple of days gone by.  We spent a day in beautiful Cambridge.  We went punting down the river along The Backs.  We got to see many of the pretty colleges.  It was a relaxing ride and we enjoyed the sights.  We had a delicious lunch overlooking the canal, and wandered around Cambridge.

Yesterday afternoon we went into Norwich, the nearest big city.  We had tea, walked along the river, went to a movie and had supper at a great restaurant that used to be a library.  Comfy seats, delicious food and books everywhere!  Lovely!

Dereham, England - Part 2

I've had a lovely couple of days here in Dereham.  Yesterday morning we headed to Great Yarmouth to meet Jo's (my step-mom) brother, his wife and their son.  We enjoyed coffee and conversation with them.  We walked around the town for awhile and ate lunch at a pub.  Great Yarmouth is a vacation town and a sea port.  There are lots of game rooms, casinos, mini-golf courses and amusement rides.  It was fun to explore the town.

Yesterday evening we made our way to Cromer to go to a show at the theatre on the pier.  It was called Seaside Special, and it was a vaudeville-type experience.  There was fabulous singing and dancing, a talented magician and a few comedians.  Such a fun night!

We have enjoyed some down-time today.  This afternoon we did go to an adorable town called Holt for afternoon tea and shopping, but otherwise we are just relaxing and enjoying each other's company!

Dereham, England - Part 1

I have made it safely to my dad and step-mom Jo's house in Dereham, England.  They picked me up from the airport (I was seeing mom off on Wednesday), and we went to the most adorable little pub in a small town near Dereham for lunch.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing.  Felt so good after being so busy for 5 weeks!

Today dad and I spent some time downtown, and then my step-sister, Danah, came over with her fiance, John, and 4 boys for a BBQ.  I had a blast spending time with my gorgeous step-nephews!    

We have some things planned over the next few days, so stay tuned for a couple more posts!

London, England - Part 2

What a busy day today!  We realized that we really had only one full day in London, so we crammed in as much as we could.  

We first went to see Big Ben and the Parliament buildings.  What a stunning building!  We went down the street to Westminster Abbey.  Since both of us had been inside before, we decided to just take in it's beauty from the outside.  Another incredible piece of architecture and art.

We walked to Buckingham Palace and happened upon the Changing of the Guard.  We weren't too pleased about this, since it means the crowds in front of the Palace are insane.  We had both seen the Changing of the Guard before, so we were really just interested in seeing the Palace!  We fought the crowds and spent a few minutes there.

We then walked down The Mall to Trafalgar Square, where we had lunch at a great pub.  We then walked back to the Thames and walked along the South Bank until we reached the Millennium Bridge.  We walked across this fascinating structure toward St. Paul's Cathedral on the other side of the river.  We went inside the Cathedral and toured around with an audio guide.  While mom was wandering around in the crypt (I had finished touring and was waiting at Starbucks), a group of people all wearing purple choir robes walked by and she followed them upstairs to the Cathedral floor.  The choir was preparing for a service and had a practice right then.  It was a mixed choir of about 60 people.  She said it was absolutely gorgeous.  Food for the soul.  Kinda regret my Starbucks.  :-)

We made a quick trip to Kensington Palace, but were disappointed in the amount of construction / restoration happening to the building.  It was hard to see the Palace itself.  

We rushed back to our apartment, changed, and rushed to the Piccadilly Circus area for our Broadway show!  We went to see The Book of Mormon.  While it would certainly not be for everyone (incredibly irreverent and probably offensive), we loved it!  It was hysterically funny and the singing and dancing were phenomenal.  We are Broadway fanatics, so this was the perfect way to end our trip!

Mom flies home tomorrow.  I am heading to the Norfolk area to spend some time with my dad and step-mom.  I fly home on August 16.  I may do a couple of more blog posts, but most of our time will be pretty low-key.

At the beginning of the trip it seemed that 5 weeks was so long.  But it has flew by and we have had the time of our lives!  There are so many more stories to tell, but we'll save those to tell in person.

Thanks for all of your well-wishes, prayers and encouragement for us during this time!  And thanks for 'coming along' with us during our Summer in Europe!

London, England - Part 1

We left lovely Paris this morning and took the Eurostar train under the English Channel to London.  We easily found our flat (which is so big and beautiful!), and met our wonderful host.  

We went to the Tower of London first, to see the Crown Jewels.  So pretty and sparkly!  We took in some of the other exhibits too, like the disturbing torture chamber.  

In true London fashion, it started to rain heavily.  We were completely unprepared, since this was only our second rain of the summer!  So, of course we had left our rain jackets / ponchos and umbrellas at the flat.  So we ran to the nearest Starbucks to wait it out.  

When it let up, we walked across Tower Bridge and then walked along the Thames South Bank.  We ate fabulous fish & chips and drank Pimms & Lemonade at a great pub on the Thames.  

We had planned to walk to Big Ben, but it began raining again.  So we called it an early evening and will be better prepared tomorrow!

Paris, France - Part 3

For our last full day in Paris we decided to go see the Palace of Versailles.  Unfortunately, so did several thousand other people.  The line-ups and the crowds were overwhelming.  For those of you who know me well, you know that I absolutely hate crowds, especially in confining spaces.  I whipped through the Palace quickly and waited outside for mom.  Since I couldn't really enjoy what I was seeing, this is how she felt about Versailles:

"It was a gilded, opulent nod to the indulgences of Louis XIV.  The famous Hall of Mirrors was amazing, and it was interesting to see that even the bed chambers of the King and Queen were used to conduct business transactions.  While the rooms were intact, the original furniture was all carted away due to the French Revolution.  They are still trying to find furnishings of that period so that some of the rooms can be returned to their former glory. In spite of the crowds, I'm glad I saw it."

After Versailles, we went to the Arc de Triomphe.  We wimped out and found the elevator that took took us to the top, instead of climbing the stairs.  Paris is stunning from up there!  The Eiffel Tower looks pretty spectacular, although it almost looks fake!  Maybe I'm just not used to seeing such a famous monument in person yet.

One of the last things that mom wanted to do was walk down the Champs-Elysees.  We did some window shopping, decided that it was way out of our league, and went back to the neighbourhood we are staying in (Montmartre).  We had a delicious dinner, and found a fantastic specialty chocolate shop for dessert.

We leave Paris in the morning and head to London, which is our last stop on this incredible trip!  

Au revoir Paris!  Merci beaucoup!