London

We took advantage of Chris' first four day weekend over Easter and went by train to London. It was our first time to England, so we loved seeing the famous sights and consuming as much scones, tea, and ales as possible. Daisy kept begging for more tea and saying "mmm" after each sip!

Our hotel was in Notting Hill and we spent 2 full days and 2 half days in the city. During our weekend, we visited St. Paul's Cathedral and toured Shakespeare's Globe theatre, went to Westminster Abbey for church on Easter morning, went to the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels, and checked out the National Gallery (Van Gogh, Monet, Raphael!) and the British Museum (ancient artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone). We walked a lot, enjoying the Embankment of the Thames river, Trafalger Square, and the beautiful parks. The parks and gardens were in full spring bloom, and it was amazing to see places we've heard about like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Downing Street. We both came away with such an increased interest in history.

An English-speaking country after 3 1/2 months...It took about a day before we lost the urge to speak in German in public. I loved feeling free to talk unashamedly in English. People often make nice comments about Daisy, and I've gotten used to just smiling and nodding...it was wonderful to be able to understand and make my own comments back!