Mind the Gap...

England 2010 was amazing! Long plane rides and 24 hours without sleep, but well worth it. We got to London last Sunday March 14, rented our car and headed to Broadway in the Cotswolds. Thank goodness we opted to rent the GPS with the car; we must have gone through 50 round-a-bouts on our 1.5 hour trip. Jason did very well driving on the left side of the road; he only tried to turn right onto the right lane once. The Cotswolds were beautiful; we walked through the old village, ate Sunday roast at a local pub, and after an early night to cure our jet-lag we hiked up to Broadway Tower on Monday morning, our bellies full of traditional English breakfast grub.

Our bed & breakfast, The Old Station House


Post Office box


The traditional architecture of Broadway


Really small doors...


The main street heading up to the hills


Broadway Tower, built during the 18th century by a rich guy to better view his land


After visiting the Tower we drove another 2 hours to Manchester. Because the English don't typically enjoy progress or change street signs and lines in the road appear rather hap-hazard and silly. Our favorites were the squiggly lines and non-standard lines painted between lanes of the highway.

A sign for round-a-bouts


No idea...


We went directly to my grandmother's house where my grandmother, mom and dad were waiting for us. That night we went to dinner with my grandmother, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins...many of whom I hadn't seen in almost 5 years. Jason met most of my extended family for the first time. Overall I think he survived! Oh yeah, and it was our 2nd wedding anniversary...quite a nice way to celebrate:)

Two years and counting...


The whole crew at dinner...


Outside the Old Wellington Inn Pub in downtown Manchester. The building is hundreds of years old and was moved (literally the building was moved) after an IRA bombing in the 90's to make room for a new mall.


Jason, Aunt Julie, Helen, Adam, Mom and Dad


While in Manchester we visited my late grandfather's home, visited downtown Manchester, drove past Old Trafford (Manchester United's home pitch for those non-soccer fans), and spent a lot of time drinking tea and catching up with family. It was sad as always to leave my grandmother's house on Wednesday afternoon, but after another 4 hour drive back to London (Jason is now quite the expert on driving on the left side of the road) we spent two days exploring London, visiting all the tourist attractions. Here are some pictures...

The guards at Buckingham Palace


On my 29th birthday outside Buckingham Palace


Our rides around London


Fountain outside Buckingham Palace




We toured the Westminster Abbey. Our favorites were the graves and memorials with the likes of T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin.


Parliament! Big Ben! London Eye is in the background; we didn't ride -- too high!


On the Thames by Parliament


Wouldn't be complete without a trip to Harrod's.


A walk through Hyde Park was a perfect end to my birthday. Of course we had to visit Princess Diana's memorial.


Crosswalks at round-a-bouts have "look left" or "look right" painted on the street -- nice reminder!


Jason spent a lot of time using the London map to navigate our extensive walks around the city.


Queen Elizabeth I outside St. Paul's Cathedral


The Tower Bridge on the East End of London


Inside the Tower of London...a rainy English day


I made sure to have plenty of Walker's crisps, Cadbury chocolates, sausages, pastries, and Ribena. Jason got to try many new English beers, traditional meals, and I think he may now even be a fan of English food. It has been almost 5 years since I have visited England, and I think I forgot how much I love the country, culture, and quirky things that make the English so lovable. It was a little sad getting back on the plane Sunday morning, but also great to sleep in my own bed and see Maddie when, after 24 hours of traveling, we made it back to Flagstaff.

A classic "English" picture we just had to take!


Catching up on sleep, laundry and work this week and constantly feeling thankful for our opportunity to travel. XOXO