Spring Break, Park 1

It has been a little while since our last post. Spring break has come and gone and we have been enjoying the time off from school and work. Our spring break officially started on Wednesday, 1st April when Kyle finished his last exam! The next day, my good friend Katie, from Virginia, and her husband Taylor came to visit us. We hadn't seen them since July and were stoked to have visitors!

The four of us!

We spent Friday and Saturday exploring Edinburgh. We went to the Palace, walked around the city, ate Haggis and tatties and even went to a football game.

Kyle & Me outside of Holyrood Palace

Katie & Taylor listening to their audio tours in the Palace gardens

On Sunday, we hopped on a train and went up to St. Andrews for the day. On Sundays you can walk the course. I am not a big golf buff, but I understand the history and beauty of the St. Andrews course, it was really cool to actually get to walk on the course and see where it all started. As if that wasn't enough, there is also a castle (there always is in Scotland) and an amazing Chapel. You can also walk around the cute town and there are plenty of little shops and restaurants.

Here's Taylor at the St. Andrews sign

On Monday, after our trip to St. Andrews, we got on the train again and headed down to London. Kyle & I haven't been there since we moved to the UK so we were really excited for another chance to see London. On our first day there we went to the famous Harrods department store. It was quite an experience. The store takes up multiple city blocks and carries everything from Krispy Kreme, fruits, vegetables, designer clothes, shoes- you name it they have it. Not at a price that the average Joe can afford, but they do have it.

Here is Kyle & Me getting ready to enjoy some Krispy Kreme

After our Harrods adventure, we bought tickets for the Big Bus tour and rode the bus around London to see all the sights. My favorite part of the tour was the Tower of London. The tower was originally built by William the Conqueror in 1078 was used as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison for high status or royal prisoners. One of it's famous prisoners was the Queen Anne Boelyn. All of the prisoners are buried within the Tower and they even showed us where Anne Boelyn was executed.

Where Anne Boelyn was executed

The Tower of London also contains the crown jewels. The crown jewels includes the royal crowns, royal sceptres and royal jewelry. One of the royal sceptors, 'Sceptre with the Cross' contains a 530 carat diamond, which is the second largest cut diamond in the world (the largest being the 'Golden Jubilee' which is 755 carats and is housed in the crown jewel collection of Thailand). Katie & I really enjoyed this part of the tour. I can't speak for the men though...

In front of the Tower Bridge

Westminster Abbey

Our tour took us to all the major spots of London- Westminster Abbey, the Eye of London, the Globe Theatre, St. Paul's cathedral, Big Ben, Parliament Buildings, etc etc. It is such a huge city compared to Edinburgh or Seattle for that matter! After our long day of sight-seeing we stopped off for dinner at a local Italian Restaurant. On our way, we came across this fun marketing ploy by McDonald's. They have positioned their billboard in Picadilly Circus such that you can pose with the different photos they display. We had fun playing with all the different photo options.

Kyle & Taylor at the McDonald's ad

We had quite a lively waiter at dinner. He managed to spill Taylor's beer and then his solution was to drink the beer off the table with a straw. At least he was willing to help!

Taylor & the waiter...

Kyle & Katie being silly

Wednesday was our last day in London so we decided to go to the changing of the guard. It happens at 11:30 but you have to arrive early to get your place in line. We got their around 10 am and waited for the festivities to begin. It is quite a procession down the mall with soldiers and a band and horses marching.

Changing of the Guard

Changing of the Guard

We all had flights out of London on Wednesday afternoon- Katie & Taylor to Virginia and Kyle & I to Egypt. I'll post part-2 of our trip later this week.

-Stacie