UK trip report! Here's some fun things....
Seatback screens with individual movie library on international flights
* her: Bridget Jones I and II, Breakfast at Tiffany's
* him: GI Joe (ugh.) and Kill Bill
NYE with the Pritchett's and friends
* Starting at the Black Bull pub
* Back to the house for magnificent buffet and a great evening
* Best fireworks ever from the London Eye
Happy nephew Jacob
* (especially when his special song is playing - Human by the Killers "Are we human, or are we dancer")
Tramping in the snowy Lancashire fields with Anne and Andrew
* Complete with holy well visit
Christmas pudding with brandy cream sauce
* Golly. Old tires with brandy cream sauce would be good, but this....!
Manchester
* Frozen canals with geese footprints in the snow
* Royal Exchange theater - wow!
-- New theater building built inside a centuries old stock exchange
* Sewer museum. No, really.
* Manchester Art Gallery
Bristol with Nick and Tina
* Clifton suspension bridge
* Fantabulous dinner at Severnshed
Frosty walks through Castle Combe and Corsham with Rosemary and Claire
* Richly historic, but sadly struggling to pay the bills, parish churches
* Icy ponds and confused swans, ducks, geese, moorhens and coots. Poor frozen blighters!
* Chips and tea!
Bath - 2nd favorite town in UK
* Home of the Bath Bun for lunch
* Abbey bell tower tour - So awesome. Will visit Bath Abbey any chance we get.
Scrabble with Aunt Rosemary
Do you spell it honour? or honor?
Fish'n'chips take-away with the Goodsirs
Home delivery in the snow - thanks for making the trip!
Mushy peas!
3 cats and a warm flat
Much appreciated loaner apartment from Jackie and Adam in East London
Indian take-away!
Tower of London
Spent the whole day here - Crown jewels! Henry VIII's armor collection! Historical tour!
http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/planyourvisit/toptenthingstoseeanddo.aspx
http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerofLondon/stories/palacehighlights/HenryVIIIDressedtoKill.aspx
Beloved British Museum
http://www.britishmuseum.org/
Sherlock Holmes graphic novels!
http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/
http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/catalog?isbn=9781402770005
Jelly babies!
Bought at a candy kiosk in Waterloo Station
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Doctor#Overview
STAA conference
http://www.staaonline.org/
Reception party and dinner
Met the ISU admin, John! (MomWiz took us to many, many Shakespeare shows at Ewing Manor growing up)
http://thefestival.org/about/theatre.shtml
Enter center stage, amused by bear
Stuffed bear brought out for the introductory speech
Middle Temple hall
Neighbor Ed from San Mateo in London!
How cool is that?
Lunch with homemade custard at his place in South London
National Theater shows
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/
The Power of Yes - staged documentary about the UK (and global) financial crisis
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Jailed Russian dissident won't relent, even when offered freedom. Actors onstage
with a full orchestra, who are part of the story (and the action! you haven't been to
a symphony until you've seen a cellist thrown over a desk). Rebecca saw Stoppard
in the crowd! http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/EGBDF-rev.htm
Borough Market
Heaven will look a lot like this gigantic open air market
Despite dire warnings of gigantic snow storms, plus weekend Tube shutdowns, our travel out
of London was pretty uneventful. Whew!
Newark security guard who keeps bird feed in his podium for the trapped bird in the airport. Awwwww!
And home again. :-)
