Happy New Year!
We’ve just gotten back from a fantastic trip to the UK for Christmas this year, and wanted to share some of our best moments from it.
The trip started auspiciously enough with a break in the cold spell that Calgary had been under for weeks, and the day we left was bright and sunny and we were lucky to have that weather follow us around for the entire time we were away.
After a smooth (if lengthy) flight from Calgary, we arrived in London at lunchtime. The smells and sounds of the city were instantly recognizable and reminded us of how long it was since we visited. After taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington, we checked in at the Pullman Hotel, next door to the newly renovated British Library. The Pullman was recently renovated and is the first of that chain of hotels to open in the UK. In addition to being filled with awesome furniture and amenities, the hotel has a breakfast buffet worth the price of admission alone – we definitely would recommend it to anyone travelling to the city.
After a little rest we set out to the Connaught Hotel for afternoon tea, and ran in to Rod Stewart on the way (he looks fantastic BTW). Tea was wonderful and the selection of cakes and sandwiches was remarkable, if a little problematic for anyone trying to avoid excess sugar or carbs ( ;¬D). The next few days were bright and sunny and perfect for walking about and taking in the sights, including seeing a production of Billy Elliot in the West End, on the same day that the Apollo Theatre decided to fall onto people’s heads. We also managed some strolls through Bloomsbury and Covent Gardens, down to the Strand to see the Isabella Blow exhibit at Somerset House, and a couple of visits to the British Museum and the British Library.
Click to view some pictures from Victoria Park…On Saturday morning the weather turned blustery and we headed over to Karl and Tracy’s place in Victoria Park. Over the next few days we spent time reconnecting with Karl, Tracy, Viola and the new addition to the clan, French Bulldog Mr. BoBo. Although we had a little bit of rain we managed to spend time walking around the locks and canals of the East End, visiting some galleries and art spaces, and walking around the Olympic Stadium which is a short distance away from their place. When the weather broke on Sunday we spent the day at the Columbia Street Flower Market (Mike is sure he saw Marco from Adam and the Ants buying flowers) and making our way to Tracy’s new shop in Shoreditch, where we saw the Boxmall and spent the afternoon lounging at the Shoreditch Club, thanks to Tracy.
Monday morning rolled around and we said goodbye to the gang and to London as we boarded a train at Paddington to head north to Oxford. It was a little drizzly at this point and going through the countryside you could easily see how the level of the rivers and streams and the standing water in some of the fields indicated a wetter than usual winter. And after a short commute, we were in Oxford and in a cab heading to Orchard House, Heidi and Dave’s HQ on Iffley Road in Oxford.
This was our first time at Heidi’s house and it’s awesome. Built in the early 1900s it’s unique in a couple of ways – it has a huge great room which is unusual for the time, and it’s a detached house with a large garden all around it, which is quite unique for that part of the city which consists mostly of row houses and semi-detached houses.
The next few days passed by in sort of a pleasant haze, with lots of visiting, eating great food and walking around Oxford taking in the sights and getting some last minute gift shopping done. Some of the hilights included an amazing service at King’s College Cathedral which was absolutely breathtaking and incredibly moving. Dave’s mom Rosina joined us for Christmas and we had a lovely time visiting with her. The weather for the most part was very pleasant, and we had lots of time to spend outdoors seeing the sights, including the Ashmolean museum, one of our favourites in the country.
Sadly, all vacations must come to an end and early Saturday morning we boarded a bus headed for Heathrow and under a brilliant cloudless sky lifted off and chased the sun back to house and home, and the dogs.