The last of England

Here are the last pictures of our trip to England. I know it has been about nine months, but better late than never. Kelsey and I had a fun trip. It was a once in a life-time opportunity, and we are thankful to Brynn and Scott for their hospitality! We love and miss you guys!

I can't believe I'm forgetting stuff already. If I remember correctly, Gloucester Road is the stop where our hotel was. We figured out the subway system really quickly.

I wasn't able to catch it in time, but Kelsey was having a lot of fun trying to catch the birds. They got away before I could get a good pic. This is just down the street from where we stayed.

Kelsey and I went and watched Wicked on New Years Eve while were were in London. We had a lot of fun. I was afraid that we would not be able to understand what the performers were saying and my good money would be wasted, but I was pleasantly surprised. I could hardly tell that the performers had accents. It was one of the best shows I've watched. After the show, we thought about going to the London Bridge to watch firecrackers for New Years, but some guy we were sitting by told us that it took him three hours to get back on the subway and back to his place last year. Kels and I were tired, so we went back to our tiny hotel room and watched it on television. It beat standing out in the freezing cold and waiting in lines for hours.

West Minister Abbey. I don't remember how many people are buried in this cathedral, but Kelsey was excited to find that Handel was buried here.

The House of Parliament.

Above-Big Ben. Kelsey somehow knew about this monument and was excited to see it in person.

During our first night in London we were able to go to the British Museum. Above is the Rosetta Stone and ancient artifacts from Egypt and Greece. They had some pretty neat stuff that I had not seen in U.S. museums before.
Ha Ha! The above picture cracks me up! Brynn wanted so desperately to take me to a Christmas market. We heard about this one in London, so Brynn decided to come with us to London for one evening before leaving us in the big city alone. The Christmas market ended up being a carnival with a few booths. We had not really bought a souvenir the whole time we were in England because we thought there would be something cool to buy at the market. Although I did not find anything, Kelsey did. Kelsey's souvenir - A small hand made bowl from Turkey!!!!! I'm laughing just thinking about it.

This story reminds me of something else. Prior to this, Brynn took me to a different town in hopes of finding a Christmas market. Although there was no market, we found a cool store with discounted Christmas stuff. I found a neat Santa Clause that looked like ceramic but was made out of some kind of plastic. I was excited to find something that would help me remember our Christmas in England. As we were walking down the street, Brynn asked me if I was glad I bought the Santa. I responded that I was happy that I found something that would remind me of my Christmas there and that was durable and wouldn't break. Just as we finished discussing the topic, I dropped the bag containing my Santa, and it broke! Fortunately, we were able to glue it back together. Although I wasn't too thrilled at the time, I will always look at that Santa with fond memories.
My hotel room in London. I knew I was getting a small room with a small bed, but I didn't realize just how small it was. This is the room. The only thing left out of the picture is a small bathroom. I could lay across the bed and my feet would almost touch the opposite wall if the small desk was not in the way. This means the room was about 5'9'' wide! The bed was smaller than a twin bed. I thought Kels and I would have a hard time sharing it, but we slept better in that bed then we did at Brynn's freezing house!

I need to back up for a moment and explain something. Before going on the trip, Brynn called and said she was concerned because she didn't know what she would be able to show me or how much she would be able to travel with us. She asked me what my biggest concern was, and I replied, "I don't want to be freezing in your house the whole time I am there." She informed me that they no longer leave their thermostat at 50 degrees because the air force pays for the utilities, i.e. they don't have to be cheap. So, I was a bit relieved. To my great dismay, I showed up at her house (this is a brand new house mind you) just in time to learn that her heaters were not working properly. In other words, there was no heat in the room where Kelsey and I slept!!!!!!! Not only did I get the flu while I was there, but I froze every night!

Cousin time

Our fun little tour guide. I don't remember his name, but he had a cute name that matched his cute personality. Kelsey loved listening to him talk. He had an accent, but we could understand just about everything he said!

This is Windsor Castle. I loved the town of Windsor. I think it is one of the neatest places I've been. I would love to live there. The houses and shops are cute and have a lot of character, and the scenery is beautiful.

Outdoor ice skating in Cambridge. We drove a long ways to get to Cambridge in order to go on a boat tour, but we didn't make in in time, and Carson got really sick. Scott took the kids home, and Brynn, Kels, and I all went and walked around Cambridge for a few hours. We found a way cool store that sells just about anything you can think of, and we walked through some very quite streets in the late evening. Not one of the smartest things we've ever done.

My cute baby girl.

Kels and Carson. I just want to eat him!

I can't believe I've already forgotten the history about this mound (above). If I remember correctly, it is about 1,000 years old. I now wish I would have written it down when I got back. Brynn, you'll have to help me remember.

Small English streets

The picture above and the three below are ruins of the Prior's Lodging.

Kelsey and Corbyn at Prior's Lodging