day 3

Once we arrived back in London from our visit to see my pen pal and her family, we spent a bit of time in the flat just catching our breath. So, we had a snack, got the tour books out and planned our next activity.

We strolled to the tube station and hopped on over to the Buckingham Palace area. We walked past the Royal Mews, stopped in a few of their gift shops, admired the daffodils, took pictures in front of the Palace and then walked along the edges of both Green Park and St. James Park. We went past St. James Palace and Clarence House. We gazed at the Victoria Memorial. We walked down the Mall, passed through the Admiralty Arch to Trafalgar Square.

There was a concert going on in Trafalgar, an early St. Patrick's Day celebration. Lots of music and a few drunk people stumbling along Whitehall towards Westminster.

Whitehall is filled with things to see from the Horse Guards, to the Banqueting Hall, to a glimpse of the entry to 10 Downing Street. The sun was starting to set and by the time we made it to Parliament, it was dusk. We walked around Parliament and the Abbey and found our way to the tube stop and back to the flat.

It was a 3.5 hour walk and we loved every minute of it. We took our time, took pictures, took silly selfies, and talked, and walked!

Once back at the flat, we planned our Monday. We would be heading back to Westminster to tour Churchill's War Rooms and then the Abbey.

my pen pal

Day two of our trip found us up and and it early. We had a train to catch. We packed an overnight bag and made our way to the nearest tube stop, Warren Street station. From there we went to King's Cross Station.

Using the tubes in London is easy, but full of stairs, escalators, lifts, noise, interesting sights, and smells. The whole experience is something to experience! And there is nothing like wandering around the big hubs like King's Cross or Paddington.

Of course at King's Cross we had to stop and join the queue for Platform 9 3/4. We took the pics pretending we too were going to run the baggage cart through the wall and board a train to Hogwarts. A very fun way to start the morning. Even more fun was seeing all the different kinds of people who were in line with us or standing nearby to watch the rest of us pose for the camera. All ages. All nationalities. Harry is global in a way that unless you experience something like that, it is almost difficult to imagine.

We boarded the train for Stevenage and took the 35 minute train ride out of the city. Several stops along the way, but it was fun for us to see the outlying towns and villages.

Once we arrived and made our way from the platform to the station, Donna spotted us and with a shout, ran over and gave me a huge hug. We both got teary eyed. Pretty amazing that two girls who began writing each other almost 40 years ago, but only met in person one other time, have such a connection. She guided us to the parking lot where her husband waited with the car. Off we went to their house! Stevenage is a typical post war community. It was bombed in WWII and the rebuild gave it a modernity that most villages don't have in that scope.

We had a cuppa, got unpacked, and headed out to Knebworth for lunch. Knebworth is a short drive away and has the distinction of being the "home village" to the Queen Mother. Her family estate is there. We got a glimpse of it through the trees. We also drove past author Ken Follet's house.

The Lytton Arms was our destination and once we arrived we enjoyed a couple of pints and a lovely, full on, English pub lunch. Chicken pie, roasted potatoes, carrots, green beans. Very tasty. The pub is adorable. Here is a link to their site: http://www.lyttonarms.co.uk/

We caught up over lunch and the conversation flowed like we had just visited the prior week instead of 27 years before.

After we went back to their house and they began to prepare for the arrival of all of Donna's family. She set out a spread of food. Enough for an army! Everyone began to arrive at 6:00 PM. Her parents came, her three daughters, plus two of her sisters, spouses/significant others, and her grandson. The house was packed! We hugged, chatted, laughed, told stories, answered questions, and laughed some more until after midnight. And we ate! We even had haggis!! Donna's hubby is Scottish as is her father.

In the morning, she made us a full English breakfast: eggs, bacon, scottish sausage, rolls, jam, etc. She was going to make blood pudding, but forgot it! Didn't matter, we were stuffed as it was.

Then it was off to the train station for our trip back to the city. We have a plan to see each other again as soon as we can. She'd like to see NYC as would I. So, we are thinking some time between Christmas and New Year's would be fun. If all goes well, we will be reunited again in a few years.

It was an amazing visit with my pen pal. What a friend I found when we became pen pals all those years ago.

And that was day two and the start of day three!

and we're back

After an amazing whirlwind of a trip/vacation, we are back home. Off to work today for us and off to school for the boy.

I'm going to blog a bit about our stay in London, but I need to gather my thoughts and I'm feeling a bit wonky this morning. Touch of jet lag I guess, but I did manage yesterday to stay on my normal schedule.

But, to start, we had a very smooth flight over the pond. Loved having the extra leg room. The upgrade on our tickets was well worth the money. When we are both tall people with long legs, 8 hours of flying time with no room for your knees is misery. We had an exit row on the way over so that meant even more room. It was wonderful. We both managed to sleep a fair amount so when we did land we didn't feel too off. We wound our way through Heathrow and found the Express train without any problem. Again, a good splurge to take that way into the city. It arrives in 20 minutes at Paddington station. Caught a taxi there to the flat. We figured out the instructions to retrieve the key, a bit of James Bond type activity there, and let ourselves in. The flat was clean, cute, and cozy. Perfect for us. We unpacked and sent a text to our London girl. We had time to get some groceries, so we set off on foot for the nearest Sainsbury's. First order of business: chocolates and dark chocolate Digestives! I did make a list of things I wanted to buy, before we left the home, which was smart thinking on my part. Thinking on your feet after a long flight is not my strength.

So with breakfast foods, snack foods, and some beverages in hand, we walked back to the flat and waited for the girly to arrive. She did, with flowers in hand!! A lovely bouquet with a lovely smile and big hugs and tears. So amazing to see her.

We picked a nearby place, Fishbones, and had the most wonderfully fresh fish and chips. Delicious and the perfect way to start our stay.

We followed the girl back to her flat and got to see where she lives, up many flights of narrow, twisty stairs in what was the servant quarters. Cute and snug!

We then wound up in a pub for a pint. The Jack Horner was hopping with young Londoners enjoying a Friday night out. We enjoyed ourselves for a bit before we both started to feel the jet lag and took ourselves off back to our flat.

Lights out by 8:00 PM as we had an early train to catch from King's Cross in order to visit my pen pal and her family out in Stevenage.

And that was Day 1!!

london calling

The middle kid got the email yesterday. She has been accepted into the global leaders program and will spend next spring semester in London!!!!!

She was still in a state of shock when she called me. I wonder if it has sunk in yet? This is so exciting! What an amazing opportunity. She will not only take a semester's worth of classes, she will also intern with a company based in London, or she will work in Parliament!! OMG!!

Another super neat thing is that my best friend's daughter will be in Paris at the same time and that young lady's cousin will be in Austria. Road Trip!!

Plus, one of her sorority sisters who got in has family in Germany! Road Trip!

Studying abroad was something the hubby and I didn't do, so yes, we are totally living vicariously. I own that right now.

We are thrilled for her and so happy that we can help her take this opportunity.

AND, the oldest called and said her grades are looking spectacular for this semester. She is quite pleased with herself and is in really good shape GPA-wise going into the final exams.

AND, both ladies will be home soon for Easter!!

Yes, I'm still stoked, excited, floating, crazy-happy.  Wow. Wowsa.