Travel Diaries: London Calling!

last spring, for one month, i commuted to London daily for a course i was taking. having never been before, it was love at first  sight as soon as i stepped off the train into st. pancras international train station. although i didn't get to see much of london while i was attending the course, i was smitten. 

i've had the opportunity to visit london since, including for the london marathon - it was CRAZY CROWDED - and most recently over the holidays during my niece's visit. although we live only about an hour North, whether by car or by train, getting into the city isn't cheap. but so worth it.

we took the train into london - during off peak hours to save some money - and started our day in westminster at the iconical big ben (click on links for more info) clock tower. we ended our day in covent garden at another iconic spot - punch and judy's pub. 

//until next time london!//

X

 call me crazy - ya wouldn't be the 1st - but i love the london underground. it susrprisingly clean and easy to navigate, except when their are line closures, like there were on the day we visited with my niece and her beau (above)!

 i love the industrial look of this station.

 big ben in ALL of his glory.

the clock tower is part of the palace of westminster, where the house of parliament is located. 

 two 'bobbies' or policemen guarding one of the entrances.

sadly we didn't have time to go inside and tour the abbey, but barry and i are planning to do it during one of our next trips

this is one of my favorite pics from that day - filled with iconic images of london

statue of king richard outside of palace of westminster

 picture of the london eye.

 The Shard - reportedly it will be Europe's tallest building once completed.

lunch!

 i have to confess that i have no idea what building is pictured, but apprently  thought it important looking enough to photograph.

posing in front of the tower of london. line was too long. and we don't like to wait. next time - yeah that's it, next time.

 another view of tower of london from the thames.

tower bridge

 i know i keep going on about the tube, but seriously, how cool is it that the underground stations feature live music? i mean.

 two of my favorite people on this earth in covent garden during the holidays. it doesn't get any betta.

 covent garden decked out in it's holiday finest

 more live (free) music!

no, we didn't go (i don't do musicals, i'm weird like that) but i do love a good marquee like!

 zomg! we were scouring the streets and stumbled upon carluccio's (a well known italian cook here in the uk) and even though we waited an hour to be seated, it was worth every last bite.

 the restaurant features a yummy shop. just look at the size of those meringues!

 our dreamy starter.

 we shared the trio of pasta, trying each other's. nom nom nom.

bedford train station bound!

Travel Diaries: Stonehenge

and the pirate's birthday

the day after my niece and her beau john arrived we set off for wiltshire county to see one of the 7 wonders of the world (well maybe)and celebrate barry's birthday. 

we stayed the night in salisbury at cricket field house bed and breakfast located next to, you guessed it, a cricket field. for the value we were very happy with our accommodations,and found the owners attentive and helpful.

when we arrived at stonehenge, it was, raining. when we left stonehenge it was raining. but in typical british fashion, we carried on and enjoyed the english heritage site. 

for barry's birthday dinner i had made reservations at cote, a french eatery in salisbury. the more i use trip advisor, the more confident i become with their recs. we loved our experience at cote, and will definitely try another one of their locations. the food was amazing ya'll. devine, infact. 

all in all it was a lovely weekend road trip with two of my favorite people on earth, my husband and my niece hailey, and a great way to celebrate my beloved's 37 years of life.

   X

 "rain drops keep fallin' on my head...." no, seriously folks.

 i love sheep and this is the closest i have been able to photograph them. they were unphased by the throngs of tourists.

 note the rain drops on lense and my husband who is too cool to wear his hood even though his head is getting soaked.

our cabbie recommended this gem in salisbury. he the directed us to ask about 'the hand'. once in the old pub we met a regular named kenny, a kindly older man with a wool cap, who explained the legend of 'the hand'. my niece and i even had the opportunity to witness said 'hand'. if you're ever in salisbury and are looking for a good pub, check out the haunch of denison, and be sure to ask about 'the hand'. 

puppy luv!

and our newest family member - roscoe!

while barry and i were still stateside, my mum-in-law rescued a jack russell terrier while she was visiting kilarney, ireland. as it turns out and unbeknownst to my mum-in-law, she was preggers with a liter of 4. the little bundles of joy arrived in september and greeted me upon my return from the states. although we hadn't planned on having another pet, we both agreed to give one of the puppies a home. after spending time with all 4, i found myself gravitating towards one of the two boys. but before i could allow myself to become attached, we had to first introduce the pup to our lab roxy. i'll be honest, both barry and i were nervous. i could not love an animal more, but roxy can be unpredictable, and by unpredictable i mean, aggressive (as an admitted crazy canine mama, this is very hard to admit). with baited breath roxy and roscoe met, and although they didn't necessarily hit it off, no one got hurt. 

nowadays in true sibling fashion, roscoe is ALL about his big sister, and for the most part, roxy enjoys having a little sibling to play with. in addition to his given name of roscoe, barry calls him 'scamp', and i refer to him as my 'little man'. while he can be darling, cuddly and well behaved, he can also be rambunctious, tenacious and poorly behaved. the only thing i can compare it to is toddlers. you can't leave ANYTHING in their reach you don't mind going in their mouth. boundless energy. iffy control over their bodily functions. having said that, we love roscoe to pieces and he is the perfect addition to our growing family.

Now,
get prepared for some serious cuteness.....

X

 note the disheveled look i am sporting

our little guy

he has already gotten so big! we really wish he would stop. growing already.

it has been adjustment walking two dogs, instead of just one. it is really nice when barry joins us, and he takes one of them. oh and the snow....they LOVE it. 

he looks so innocent. don't let those eyes fool ya. notice the lead at the bottom? roscoe has since chewed through it. razor. sharp. teeth.