London, England

 Jeff had a work trip to London, England at the end of May (24-31) that he thought might be fun for me to tag along on. So I did! We extended the trip to be a full week so we could do some things on our own as well. Jeff's partner, Karl and his wife Cassandra Anvik came as well. We hung out with them a lot of the time we were there. Jeff's parents watched the kids for half the week, and my parents covered the second half. It's so nice to have them be able to do that for us!

The flight was long, of course, but we survived and it wasn't actually too bad. However, then we got there, and still had a long time until bedtime so staying awake was a chore. We checked into our hotel and it was very nice! They had a cute little teapot so we started off with some tea. Then Jeff and I decided to go to a "Football" game (which is actually soccer). We figured this would keep us awake! We didn't know how the train worked at that point so we got an Uber and both struggled our way there, basically snoring the whole way. We were so tired! Once we got to the stadium we caught our second wind. We watched the Tottenham Spurs play and even bought some hats to fit in. We also grabbed some snacks on the way in which consisted of a meat pie and sausage roll. Very interesting! The game was fun to watch, although we lost big time. The crowd sang lot of songs and chants that we didn't know, but overall was quite what I expected. We had a great time! We grabbed some dinner and checked out the pool later. It was gorgeous, but missing a hot tub, so we used the steam room. That night we had the best sleep of our lives. 

On Monday we went to the British Museum with Karl and Cassandra and it was huge! We had a lot of fun looking at everything and seeing the Rosetta stone. I actually really enjoyed it until a few hours in when everything started looking the same. We headed to the Borough Market afterwards for some food and the strawberries poured with chocolate that I heard about and had been looking forward to. We didn't realize it was a holiday there, so it was BUSY. We were standing there and realized we were in a line that had lined up way past us, so we decided to stay in it and get whatever this popular food was. It was a fish dish with rice and the biggest prawn I had ever seen. Jeff and I shared it and then also grabbed some fish and chips. Then we had the chocolate strawberries for dessert. It was fun to check this place out and we were actually lucky because a lot of other places that day were closed. We explored a little bit as we walked back to our hotel, and also tried to avoid the rain that started to drizzle. We booked the restaurant at our hotel for that night with Karl and Cassandra called "Straits Kitchen" and I was glad we could stay inside. It was delicious and we had a really good time chatting that night!

Tuesday was a really cold and rainy day. We didn't realize how rainy it would be, so we were very unprepared. We went to the Tower of London, which I thought would be mostly inside, but I was very wrong. You make your way through different buildings and are outside a lot, so we were drenched. Jeff slipped on one of the steps going down and hurt his elbow quite badly. He bled onto his clothes and jacket, so that made matters even worse. I found it to be a little bit boring also, but we made it through and Jeff enjoyed it more than I did. I was glad when we got home and could freshen up and make our way to "The Devil Wears Prada" play. Jeff and I ate at a Steak restaurant nearby and then met up with the Anviks at the play. It was definitely a highlight of the trip for me! We all LOVED the play. It was next level acting and sometimes I wondered if the actor actually was Anne Hathaway, she was so good! I wished we could've gone to even more plays. 

Wednesday was a shopping day. We found a great street with mid-range priced stores, although we didn't end up buying anything. It was very busy. We did get some really delicious ice cream that they made look like flowers though! We also found a fun market and wanted to go to this cheese place that had a conveyor belt with plates of food going around, but it was all booked up, so we found somewhere else to eat. That evening, the conference started, so we went to the dinner and met a few people. 

On Thursday Jeff had classes all day, so I was on my own. I booked a personal trainer for a workout and then stayed at the spa for a massage and facial. It was an amazing day! Jeff and I met up to get ready for the evening events together. They took us on a boat ride tour on the Thames River, which was such a good time and super informative. Then we got to explore the Cutty Sark boat, which was famous for being the fastest clipper ship that carried items for trade. Afterwards, we went below the ship, where our dinner was set up. The venue looked amazing and the food was delicious and catered very well and quickly. We had a great night eating delicious fish!

Friday was another day of classes for Jeff. Cassandra and I decided to go on a "Royal Warrant Tour." We had a guide that took us to the stores that had a Royal Warrant, which meant a stamp of approval from the Kind or Queen. We got to taste test different cheeses and chocolates, see the hat shop some of the royals go to, and visit the perfume store and smell the scent James Bond wears. We also got to shop at a fun store where I bought a few things for my parents. I had a really good time! Jeff and I met up again for the night and this time we went to the London Eye, the Ferris Wheel type thing. We got to ride on it and see the views from above and then eat at the Skylon. It was a very slow night for food and I got a little small talked out. The food was delicious though.

On Saturday they provided breakfast for us and then we packed up and headed on our way! I was definitely ready to get back to the kids, but we had a lot of fun experiences.