Cheers from across the Pond

Well we are finally here in London. We have had a great time so far. We arrived on Saturday (May 17th) after a very long day (and night) of flying. After we got back to the house (we are staying with Paul & Shelley Larsen -- Alex's sister & brother-in-law who live here) we had a quick rest and then headed out to see some of the sites.

We caught the tube and went to Trafalgar Square. The kids climbed all over the lions (which are HUGE) and then we walked to Leichester square to see what plays might be half-price. Afterwards we went to Covent Garden & the Apple Market. I got my first (and certainly not last) souvenier and enjoyed looking at all the beautiful crafts. Alex & the kids got a taste of real Bristish humor -- funny but certainly off-colour at times.

Sunday morning we woke up and went to church in the Hyde Park ward -- they mentioned that sometimes they have more than 100 visitors each week. We cut out after Sacrament meeting and went to the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. The building that houses the Natural History Museum is just beautiful.

After a much needed nap and some dinner we headed out for Paul's "Sunday Walk" We went past Buckingham Palace and down through St. James Park. We headed through the Horses Guard and caught a glimpse of 10 Downing Street -- we did not see the Prime Minister however. Then we went on to the north side of Westminster Bridge to see the Houses of Parliment & Big Ben. We ended our evening with a beautiful organ concert in Westminster Abbey. Thanks Paul for a great tour!

Today we headed out to visit the Queen in Windsor -- we weren't actually able to see her -- surprise, surprise. We did manage to catch the changinge of the guard at Windsor Castle. It was a nice day and we had a lot of fun. The view from the castle is absolutely beautiful. We also got to go into St. George's Cathedral and saw where Henry VIII was buried. It is amazing what they were able to do with stone considering the very primitive tools available to them.

After spending several hours at the castle we headed into Windsor for some authentic lunch -- Fish & Chips. It was tasty and the establishment where we ate was actually where Shakespear wrote a lot of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" Our waiter was very friendly and we had a nice visit with him.

This evening we headed for the West End to take in some plays. Alex, Miranda & Jordan went to see the musical of The Lord of the Rings. They liked it -- especially the special effects. Cecilee & I went to see Wicked. What a great show. I think I enjoyed it even more the second time -- the music is fabulous and catchy. Cecilee thought it was even better that she imagined. It was nice for Cecilee & I to have our own special time -- we rode the bus on the top deck on the way. It was fun!

This really has been an amazing experience for all of us.