England

I had such a fantastic time in England! I love traveling - and it really was nice to have some time to myself. I love traveling with Rob and I really missed him. I missed my kids, too, but I didn't miss traveling with them. It was so nice to sit on the airplane with my book and my magazine. I only had my purse to keep track of, which was nice.

I flew into London, and then took the tube into the city, where I then navigated the streets with my luggage and found my hotel. I chatted it up with an extremely friendly Indian concierge for a while, but got tired of waiting, so I went (by myself) to the National Gallery. The last time I was there, Rob was waiting outside with a crying baby Alex, so I didn't get to look around much. This time, there was nothing stopping me. They have amazing works of art there, and it was fabulous to wander around with no time constraints.


This is the view of Trafalgar Square from the doors of the National Gallery.

After my joyous reunion with Amber, we went to a play at the Globe Theater. We saw Troilus and Cressida. The play was very well done, but it was a triumph for me to sit there, in the cold, during a three hour Shakespeare play about the Trojan war, going on 36 hours of no sleep. A triumph.
The view across the Thames from the Tate modern art museum. It was fantastic to be in an art museum with Amber who knows so much about art!

back at Trafalgar Square - this time with Amber

You might be wondering what this is. Well... it's a shower/toilet combo. Pretty funny. I couldn't figure out how to turn the cold water on, so I took a scalding hot shower with the toilet. I didn't care. I was just so happy to be clean.

Views around the Thames and the houses of parliament. So beautiful.

Amber and I went to the British Museum, which was awesome. They have so many amazing things there - we both could have stayed for a lot longer than we did. I took lots of pictures of mummies to show the boys. They love that kind of thing.

My favorite thing was the Rosetta Stone. Awesome. Amber said (jokingly) that now that she's seen the Elgin Marbles, her life is complete. I wouldn't go quite that far, but they were really cool to see.

The Magnum. The tastiest of all ice cream treats. I became hooked when we came to Europe the first time, and I've been dreaming of them ever since. Why don't they have these in America?! (It's probably a good thing - for me - that they don't!) Shopping in Nottingham, near where Amber and Ashley live. It is so beautiful there!

Amber and Ashley: proud owners of the Micra.

The Sherwood Forest museum was so lame it was actually funny.

The famous Sherwood Forest. Where Robin Hood may or may not have robbed from the rich to feed the poor. This is the "major oak" which is over 1,000 years old. It may or may not have been the place where Robin Hood and his merry men may or may not have hung out. Nobody's sure. Anyway, it's a cool old tree, and Sherwood Forest is a beautiful place.

Amber and Ashley in front of their house. I was hoping baby Edith would make her grand appearance while I was there, but she still hasn't shown up. I'll just have to be happy with seeing pictures of her.

Amber and me. I love my sister! I had such a fabulous time with Amber and Ashley! Oh yeah, that bag that I'm holding is full of Magnum bars. :)