London

Here are some of the photos from our London trip. Dave and I traveled over with my parents and we all had Business Elite seats on Delta from ATL to LHR. Talk about nice!! Lay flat seats, down pillows and comforters, individual toiletry kits with socks, earplugs, eye shades, lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste. For dinner we had 3 different appetizers, Crab Cakes and Steak and for dessert we had a cheese and fruit plate and an ice cream sundae. Warm rolls and nuts, wine, Mimosa's, you name it they had it. We ate like kings and then promptly fell asleep until they woke us for breakfast. The food was excellent and the service was terrible, but it sure beats economy!! I love my job perks!!
Once we arrived in London we took the tube (subway) to Craig's place where we visited and had a lovely Lasagna and salad for dinner. We crashed pretty hard around 9pm so we could get up early for our full day on Friday. We started the day at the Tower of London, where the Crown Jewels are on display and you can walk through a recreation of what medieval life was like in London. We had a great tour guide and the Crown Jewels are amazing. No crowds thanks to it being the off tourist season. Rainy and dang COLD at times! We headed over to Westminster Abby and Big Ben after lunch. We didn't go inside the Abby because it was another $18/person. We finished the day at Harrods department store. Dad and Dave headed to the pub in the basement while Mom and I ogled at all their clothes and weird specialty items. They have section called Pet Kingdom where you can buy a pet, its clothes, food, leash, potty, bedding, kennel pretty much anything you can think of. Crazy. Friday night we went to a great place called The Golden Hind for awesome fish and chips and mushy peas(not Deb's favorite).
Saturday morning we headed to the town hall for Craig and Ian's Civil Partnership ceremony. Sara, Ian's sister and I served as the witnesses and signed all the documents with the boys. It was a very short but touching ceremony. We then headed back to the flat for Chili, munchies and drinks. We then headed over to the British Museum for a few hours. It is so huge. It would take days to explore everything completely. We took a guided tour in the Ancient Egyptian Section and we spent most of our time there. The mummy's are fascinating. Later Saturday evening we met the wedding group (around 20 people) at Vinoteca for dinner. Craig and Ian has reserved the basement wine cellar and we had one large table all to ourselves. We drank and dined in candlelight until we could barely walk home. Good thing everybody walks in London, no need for designated drivers!! Dave went back to Craig's place until 4:30am ( does he think he is still 21???) while I crashed back at our room.
On Sunday I got up with Mom and Dad and we went to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. It is just one of the cheesy tourist things you have to do at least once. I probably would not go see it again but it was neat one time. Dave met us later in the day due to his late night adventures:) We then took a bus tour around the city which showcased the major highlights. It was about 2 1/2 hours but we saw everthing and got a great overview of the city for the next time we visit.
It is super easy to get around Lodon. The subway maps are very user friendly. First timers beware, there are no public toilets except in restaurants and museums. There are also no trash cans so you have to hold on to your trash until you arrive home or get where you are going. It is also not very kid friendly. Many subway stops do not have elevators, so you would need to carry your baby and the stroller up multiple flights of stairs. Hard work. I think I will wait to bring Maddie over until she walks fairly well on her own for long periods. Strollers do not work well here.
I just want to thatnk Craig and Ian again for all their hospitality and planning and advice on how to have great first trip...we did!! We love you guys and are so happy for you. We welcome Ian into our crazy family:)