Monday, December 23, 2013

God Save the Queen

Early in March we took a long weekend to meet up with our friends from Charleston, Emily and Courtney, in London. John had been to London a few years before with his Masters program, but for me it was the first time.

We started off our trip with a visit to the Natural History Museum. John and I aren’t the biggest fans of art museums, but give us a natural history museum and we are entertained for hours!

DSC_0920DSC_0915DSC_0857DSC_0906

After a long morning in the museum we walked over to Harrods for a bit. I had no idea that on top of handbags, jewelry, shoes, and toys, they also have a full service butcher and restaurant!

DSC_0925IMG_1690IMG_1693

Before the trip the girls decided we’d take a bus tour of London to be able to hit all the highlights in a short amount of time.  The best part of the tour was by far being able to stay warm on the bus! Our first stop was St. Paul’s Cathedral where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married.

DSC_0932DSC_0933

We then drove by Trafalgar Square on our way to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.

DSC_0929DSC_0930

DSC_0945DSC_0952

Wesminster Abbey

 
DSC_0955

I love that you can see the London Eye in this photo of Big Ben!

The next stop on our tour was to Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, in the winter they do not d the changing of the guards everyday, and, of course, we were there on an off day. Also, when we arrived, Queen Elizabeth had just left for her weekend residence, Windsor Castle.

DSC_0961DSC_0966

The final stop on our tour was to the Tower of London, home of the Crown Jewels! Sadly, there are no photos allowed of the Crown Jewels but they were GORGEOUS! While were there we had the opportunity to have our photo taken with one of the Beefeaters (whose actual title is Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary). The original purpose of the Beefeaters was to look after prisoner at the Tower of London and to safe-guard the crown jewels. These days, they act more as tour guides than anything else. However, it’s not easy becoming a Beefeater. They are all retired from the Armed Forces of Commonwealth realms and must be former senior non-commissioned officers with at least 22 years of service. They must also hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal. Crazytown.

DSC_0973

Tower Bridge

DSC_0978DSC_0979

While the girls were out on their tour, John went on his own tour of the Purdy Gun & Rifle Makers’ Gun Room at the Audley house in Mayfair. He did not come home with a souvenir.

IMG_1701IMG_1702IMG_1706IMG_1704

We ended our day by meeting back up with John for a ride on the London Eye after dark. The city is beautifully lit at night and it was a real treat to see it this way.

DSC_0988

One of the highlights of our trip was the snow. From what the locals told us it almost never snows in London. It’s cold and it rains a lot, but the snow never makes it into the city. While we were there a big snow storm blew threw dumping giant white snow flakes into the city. It was absolutely magical! Unfortunately, I was too in awe to pull out the camera to take photos, but I know it was a moment John and I will never forget.

We had a great time in London seeing the sites and catching up with friends. I look forward to going back one spring or summer. I still have dreams of renting bikes and riding through Hyde Park and walking through Kensington Gardens.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Venice Carnivale

Carnivale is a huge festival held in Venice (and many other towns) just before the commencement of Lent.  There is tons of food, parades, and most notably, costumes!  The costumes are generally quite elaborate and colorful, though many people will come in any costume they have. 

We visited Venice on the last weekend of Carnivale, before it ended on Fat Tuesday.  Many of the costumes were breath-taking, and those that weren’t usually solicited a good laugh. 

DSC_0756 DSC_0757

The street performers wee amusing. Especially this guy and his “musical” puppets.

DSC_0770

DSC_0758

DSC_0765

DSC_0767

DSC_0776b

DSC_0787

DSC_0794

DSC_0798

This is our friend April with a gang (gaggle?) of chickens.

DSC_0800

DSC_0833 DSC_0803 DSC_0829

DSC_0806

DSC_0809

DSC_0824

DSC_0825

And the funniest costume of the day was by far “The Queen.”  And yes, that was a dude with a stubbly face. 

DSC_0822It was a beautiful day in Venice!  We had a lot of fun and are glad we were able to experience this centuries old festival.  Here are a few photos we took of the floating city during Carnivale.

DSC_0768DSC_0778   Small crowd.

DSC_0796DSC_0818 DSC_0781

DSC_0841DSC_0847