Last day

Liz, Hugh and Alice came and met us on our last day in London and very kindly took us to the airport (we had planned on going to the Hyde Park Christmas Market, but the torrential downpours changed our minds very quickly!)

J was very quiet while I was packing and I wondered what she was up to...I discovered her on the other side of the bed, sitting under the bedside table, reading the menu!




J and Alice got along very well. J idolized Alice and Alice loved having someone smaller than her to tell what to do! When we got to the plane, we had a new baby doll for J. She's been calling the doll Alice ever since!


We had a great trip, but as you can probably tell from this picture, we were definitely ready to come home...we look a little tired!

Visiting Persis and George

We stopped in to see Persis and George who, at 88 and 93 respectively, still live at home. They have some help, but they are very independent!

Shannon, J and Persis

George, J and Shannon

Around the hotel

(click for larger image)

Cologne Christmas Market...in London

Yes, there really was a Cologne Christmas Market in London...it seems strange to have the Cologne Christmas Market on the south bank...but it was fun! and yummy. Very yummy! First we went to Covent Garden, then walked down to the South Bank via the Jubilee Bridge.

Covent Garden reindeer

The Strand

London Eye

Parliament from the Jubilee Bridge

J and Shannon on the windy Jubilee Bridge

Market

Goodies

Haribo Stand

Christmas Pudding!

J and Alex share a Christmas pudding

Carousel

Carousel Horse

Shannon Mix

Shannon Mix...yummy!

London Lights

More Christmas lights to check out! We couldn't believe how many lights and decoartaions were up so early in the UK. We thought Christmas stuff started early here, but it was crazy over there!

Lights on Oxford Street

J checking out the London lights

More Oxford Street lights

Oxford Circus lights

Canopy of lights at Regent Street

Carnaby Street

More Carnaby Street

Visit to Harpenden

After our busy morning in London, we hopped on a train out to Harpenden to visit my friend Kristine and her family. J and Martha were quite taken by each other, but J loved baby Beatrice. She wanted to sit in her seat with her and give her lots and lots of kisses. It was so nice to have a nice dinner with friends. I wish my friends lived closer to Vancouver (or I lived closer to them!)

Shannon and Beatrice

Alex and Beatrice

Kristine and Martha

J and Beatrice

Kristine, Shannon and J

I hope we get to see Kristine again soon. We saw her two years ago (much better than the seven or eight with some of our friends!), but so much has changed since then (like three babies between the two of us!)

Morning out in London

Our hotel was right at Paddington station (I'd most definitely stay there again!) and one morning we decided to walk through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace (to catch the Changing of the Guard) and then over to Kensington to visit Harrods. It was a long morning and we were glad to get on the train later that afternoon for a bit of a rest.

Paddington side of Hyde Park

J and Alex in Hyde Park

Houses along Hyde Park

Buckingham Palace

Guards at the Changing of the Guard

Victoria Memorial

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Crowd control at Changing of the Guard

Harrods

Harrods

Like a homecoming!

Coming back to London is always like coming home. It's not home anymore and it won't be home again, I'm pretty sure of that, but it is always going to be homelike...

Heather met us at the airport and came to the hotel with us and then off we went to Hampstead for dinner followed by crepes. J has never had crepes before, but look at the look on her face...she's pretty excited about it! (And I just noticed the name of the post I linked to! Amazing!)

mmmm crepes!

pinning the pin board

J, Shannon and Heather

Glasgow

Glasgow Cathedral

Alex and sleeping J

Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral

J in Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Guide Shop

J checking out the Glasgow Christmas lights (umm? early? yup...everywhere we went it was already Christmas!)

Glasgow Christmas Lights

Glasgow Christmas Lights

Glasgow Christmas Lights

The last thing we did in Glasgow was have dinner with Caroline. I met Caroline when I lived at Pax Lodge in, oh, 1999 I think...maybe 2000. We had a great visit and it was like it hadn't been seven or eight years since I'd seen her. It was nice to catch up!