London Calling

25 years ago my aunt married a Brit, and went to live across the pond. I have been to visit them there twice, but it has been so long that my English memories can go out for a drink. Here in the states.

Tomorrow The May Queen, Big Guy and I are boarding an airplane to go visit them! To celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary my aunt and uncle have, in a fit of generosity that has rather floored me, paid for all the family members of my generation AND our spouses and children, to join them in England for 5 days at a resort in Sherwood Forest. They told us that we could then schedule any extra time in the UK that we would like... just to book our tickets and come.

Can you believe it? Pinch me, neither can I! Perhaps that is why I have not yet packed (or perhaps it was because of the out of town visitor. Or the new Harry Potter book.)

We are truly excited. That whole side of my family will be there: aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews. A new baby I have yet to meet. It will be quite the family reunion, half way across the globe.

When we arrive in London my parents are taking MQ and her cousins for several days so that we can explore London without whining children. Groovy, baby!

Our time in England will include the usual London sites (Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, some museums, Hyde Park, etc), seeing Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre (recreated to be just like the theatre Shakespeare's plays were originally performed in!), club hoping, punting the Cam, playing Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest (MQ is convinced that Robin Hood was not a person, but a fox. Thanks Disney), visiting Lincoln Cathedral, the remains of Coventry Cathedral, a trip to York, standing on the battlefield where Richard the Third yelled (according to Shakespeare) "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse", a visit to my family's namesake in Wales, marveling at Stonehenge, and more adventures, I'm sure. Perhaps, if we are lucky, we will even get to dance around a May Pole. Not that it's May, but maybe they leave these things up for the tourists?

We are very excited. But this means I will be away from blogging for over 2 weeks. I may have the opportunity to get online a few times, but even if I do, I will likely not blog. I will save up my stories for when I return. And I am sure I will have lots. I hope that you will come back and see me when I return. I am humbled by the fact that any of you come by and see me here at all, and there is of course that bloggy insecurity that in the time I am gone you will have forgotten all about me. But I will put those fears aside and enjoy this fabulous vacation! Because how could I not?

I'll be back in a little over 2 weeks, and as I battle jetlag and piles of laundry I'll slowly start checking back in with ya'll to see what you've been doing while I was gone, how BlogHer went, what your views on the latest Harry Potter books are, and what other adventures you have undertaken. And I'll hopefully have some fantastic travel tales to tell.

So... until then...

Cheerio, my friends!