I Cry Uncle

So, I know that we are back from London and all, but I have decided that until I finish putting up all 70 days of our Europe Extravaganza I will maintain the 'London Facade' for our blog.  Unfortunately, my job and my life just got a LOT busier, and I'm not sure when I will be able to accomplish finishing the 'chronicle' of our stay in England. Ergo, since the blog is kind of my main forum for sharing pictures etc., I can't go on indefinitely not writing about current events (e.g., Christmas) So for those of you waiting to hear about Paris, Prague, Vienna, Sweden...those entries are coming! I promise! You will just have to backtrack a little in the blog posts to read them...

Windsor, Stonehenge, Oxford Special Feature

Day Twenty One: Part 4 China Town and Club M&M

Unfortunately when we got back to London our Les Mis plans fell through because the performance was sold out, so we had to rapidly formulate a back-up plan. China town! It was lots of fun to walk around in, and we eventually chose a restaurant based on the fact that the proprietor/manager stood on the street and captured us as we looked at the menu, beckoning us upstairs and insisting that he would give us a ‘Vely good deal…the best deal.’

Day Twenty One Part Two: Ascot and Stonehenge

Immediately after pulling out of Windsor Castle we got stuck in traffic, because apparently it was race-day at Ascot! The famed Ascot racecourse is only a stone's throw from Windsor Castle, and the current Queen is an avid horse racing fan.

Day Twenty One Part One: Windsor Castle Day Trip

We left early this morning to try the first of our 'day trips,' to Windsor Castle, Oxford, and Stonehenge with Golden Tours. As a quick review for those considering this exact tour, it is a great idea if you have limited time and would like to see all three sites in one day.  For everyone else, Windsor Castle is a place you really need an entire day at least to see properly, and this trip alots about 1 hr 15 min. You have 1 hour at Stonehenge and 1 1/2 hours in Oxford. So, all in all, not the ideal way to go.

Day Twenty: A Beef Barley Adventure

Another full day of class for Richard.  I stayed home and made up the beef barley stew.  Unfortunately, I had not made beef barley stew before.

Day Nineteen: Our Future Travel Itinerary

Many of you have been asking if we are planning to travel the rest of Europe while we are here. Unfortunately, Richard is primarily here for school, which puts a major crimp in alot of my tourist plans. lol. However, these are the trips that we have managed to schedule around Richard's coursework. 

October 22-23rd: Bath, England
October 31-Nov 1: Brighton, England
Nov 5-Nov 8: Paris, France
Nov 12-Nov 15: Stockholm, Sweden*
Nov 22-25: Prague and Vienna

*Dependent on coursework load

Day Eighteen: More Grocery Store Drama

Poor Richard had to go to class today, but I could basically spend it recovering from the marathon trip to Edinburgh. Well, that and getting some food in the house!

Special Feature: Edinburgh Castle

Day Seventeen Part Two: Harry, Bobby and Dolly

After we left Edinburgh castle it was time for lunch (meals often being my favorite part of the day...half of the time I spend researching our destinations goes into finding the best restaurant to eat in, either for atmosphere, food, or historical significance. Today's lunch choice had atmosphere AND significance!)

Day Seventeen Part One: Edinburgh Castle

On this our final day in Scotland we spent most of the day in Edinburgh castle. It was absolutely fascinating, and within the castle walls there were an additional three museums to see, so we could have spent even more time there than we actually did.

Special Feature: Urqhart Castle

Special Feature: The Scottish Highlands

Day Sixteen Part Four: Ghosts and The Open Mic

Yes, we are STILL enjoying Monday! The spectacularly lovely day has still not concluded! We arrived back in Edinburgh about 8 pm, and started looking for dinner right away.

Day Sixteen Part Three: No Dogs, No Tinkers, No Campbells

One of my absolute favorite places that we stopped on our trip up into the Scottish Highlands was the Weeping Glen of Glen Coe, one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in all of Scotland.

Day Sixteen Part Two: Loch Ness and Castle Urquhart

Our first view of Loch Ness

As I said in Day Sixteen Part One, one of the bonuses that balanced our disappointment with the tour guide was that it turns out this was the ONLY tour that drove to the northern side of Loch Ness, and stopped at the ruins of Castle Urquhart, which were absolutely incredible!

Day Sixteen Part One: Into the Highlands

After sleeping the sleep of the dead, we managed to haul ourselves out bright and early the next morning to land ourselves a spot on a tour coach heading up into the highlands.

Day Fifteen:Bonnie Scotland

We got up bright and early to pack our bags and to allow enough time to locate the Hyde Park Ward to attend church while we're here in London.  The ward building is currently being renovated, so they are temporarily meeting in the Baden-Powell house (which also serves as a hostel...we blended right in with our carry-on wheely in the lobby, lol). After church we scurried off and caught the train to Scotland!

Day Fourteen: Bus Tour of London

Early this morning we joined the other International Exchange Program (IEP) students for a bus tour of London organized by the school.  Our tour guide was fantastic, and the tour was informative and fascinating.

Day Thirteen: As Seen on the Street

Another day at the school, but that's the really awesome thing about the boring days, they give me a free blog entry to catch up on all the little random things that happen but don't really fit in with another entry. Today is a conglomeration of things that I've seen thus far on the streets of London and thought to snap a picture of.