Favorite Photo Friday: London

London. November 1999.

My sister Melissa is in Europe this week. A business trip, yes...but any excuse to spend time in Nice, France and Milan, Italy...well, that sounds pretty awesome in my book. (My sister Katie is at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas this week and between the two of them I have some pretty intense vacation envy.) Melissa has been sending somewhat regular updates to her blog with fabulous pictures and stories, all of which have me drooling. So my picture choice for today's Favorite Photo Friday is ME in Europe (London, obviously), albeit 11 and 1/2 years ago.

When Bryan told me he had a business trip scheduled for London (as opposed to the normal places like San Jose and Chicago) I didn't waste a breath before immediately begging to come along. And although it was a huge step out of my comfort zone, I learned the Metro lines and stops ("Please mind the gap between the train and the platform...") and navigated my way around London entirely by myself while Bryan was teaching class. Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards, also Kensington Palace and Princess Diana's dress collection. Notting Hill, the Tower Bridge and the very impressive Westminster Cathedral. Big Ben where I got teased about being from "the Colonies" and Harrods were I didn't buy a thing because everything was ridiculously expensive. And of course the Tower of London where I saw the crown jewels and hung out with the Yeomen Warders or "Beefeaters." (See above picture.) In the evenings Bryan and I wandered around Leicester Square and other such places for dinner and nightlife. On our last morning there we even got the chance to do a session at the *London Temple.

*A conversation later that day at the airport....
Airport security agent: "Have you left your baggage anywhere unattended?"
Us: "No. Oh shoot! Yes, actually!"
Airport security agent: (warily...) "Where?"
Us: "At the Mormon temple."
Airport security agent: "Oh. The Mormon Temple? Well that's not a problem then."
Us: :)

Well, I guess my memories will have to suffice in my raging case of vacation envy. Either that or I need to start looking into a vacation of my own. I'm thinking an Alaskan cruise sounds nice.....