London Baby!

What a gift to be given! A while back, our friend Mark e-mailed me to ask if I would want to fly to London to meet Shea for a Girl's Weekend. He was planning on surprising Shea with this gift and would cover the hotel and use aeroplane points for the flight. Would I fly to London to meet my girlfriend? Hmmm...didn't take me long to respond, "YES! Definitely YES!" And so the planning began. Thank you, Mark! How do words even express my gratitude? It was difficult leaving, dropping the kids off at the dayhome Wednesday afternoon so that I could get to the airport. I of course got teary, but I was also so excited about seeing Shea and seeing London. My flight went well as I fell asleep on the plane and slept most of the flight, missing the supper meal they served and breakfast. So you know that I slept. I made it to the hotel after just a short walk from the Heathrow Express train ride. After freshening up and grabbing a bite to eat, it wasn't long until Shea arrived. I gave her such a big hug! I had really missed her! Thursday (half day) - took the bus to Westminster Abbey to discover that we just missed visiting hours. So we walked around a bit just catching up and enjoying the buildings/architecture of London. We went for Fish and Chips to Rock & Sole and had a great meal. Afterwards we needed something sweet so off to get our first Starbucks that we enjoyed down on Regent Street under the Christmas lights. Absolutely beautiful with all the lights. Visited long into the night that night. I can't even explain how great it was to catch up. Friday - slept in a little as it was a late night and we didn't have kids to get us out of bed. Once we got up we went to a little cafe for breakfast before we began our day. First stop was Westminster Abbey. Amazing church and the extravagance was breathtaking. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to take pictures inside the church. Then I began taking a few pics in The Chapter House, until Shea told me that you aren't supposed to take photos there either. Oops - didn't see that sign. It was here that I took a picture of Britain's Oldest Door (900 years old). I couldn't resist, that was for you Mark. Following that we walked to Buckingham Palace. I am sure the Queen was enjoying tea but no sighting of her and she didn't invite us in. It was wonderful to see this landmark. Hope to see the changing of the guards next time. We then walked through Hyde Park and came upon an outdoor Christmas Market that had stalls filled with gifts to buy, food to eat, and rides for the kids; it was like something out of a storybook. We continued to walk and made it to the Marble Arch before we decided we should hop on a bus and head back to the hotel so we could get ready for our night out. We jumped on the tube to head over the West End Theatre District. And we learned just how undergroud the Underground is as we decided not to take the lift and opted for the 193 stairs up to street level. And no, we didn't count them. There was a sign and 'we' chose to take the stairs - what were 'we' thinking? I am not sure Shea will let me make decisions like that again. Not sure how she will get me back. We enjoyed supper at a place called Orso's, having walked enough all day and doing the stairs to earn it. It was a quaint, little, Italian restaurant that had delicious food. Shea came across this restaurant in her London Top Ten book. Reviews were accurate and we really enjoyed our meal. We then walked across the street to Novello Theatre. What an amazing theatre, but again I couldn't take any pictures to show you just how beautiful this theatre is. We saw Mama Mia, a birthday gift from Shea. Thanks, Shea! The show was amazing! I sang my heart out to Abba songs, laughed, and even shed a few tears. The show was a highlight and the evening was one to remember for years to come. Again, we finished the evening with visiting late into the night. Saturday was our day of shopping. We started off with a delicious breakfast at our hotel before beginning our shopping at Harrod's. What an experience that was. Such a huge department store that we could have easily been lost in it. We did buy some gifts here but decided against the sweater that would have cost an equivalent of $4000 or the scarf that Shea looked at as she laughed and said, "I guess the guy who makes that is famous, judging by how expensive that scarf is." We went back to the hotel after our Harrod's shopping trip to drop packages and then shopped Oxford street where I found everything I wanted, and even bought a new dress for a Christmas party. It is Shea's fault I spent so much as she kept telling me how good everything looked on me! And when I tried on the dress, a guy and the girl he was with, asked where I got it so she could try it on as well. So really, how could I resist? I also got some great little outfits for the kids at Next. After a break at the hotel to drop all the shopping bags, we found another Italian restaurant just down the street called Zonzo's (recommended by the concierge). It was a great find and we really enjoyed our meal. The two and a half days went by way too quickly. Again we visited long into the night, only getting four hours of sleep before we had to be up and head to the airport the next morning. What a memorable trip! Thank you Mark and Shea!