More friends, more London, more fun

Le Pan Quotidien

Our dear friends Brian and MeLea came to town on their Tour de Europe.  Their visit was a good excuse for returning to our favorite sites and exploring new ones.  The Borough market was on the top of our list of "favorite sites" and since the food is so good, we managed to squeeze 3 meals out of that visit!  Le Pan Quotidien is one of our favorite eateries, so we made a stop there as well.  (Do you see the theme that our favorite sites actually revolve around food?!  Hmmm....)

Scotland's Secret Bunker
my dad and me

Our exploring led us into a basement and into the countryside.  The Churchill War Rooms are in the basement of Treasury building and include several rooms from which Churchill directed Britain's involvement in World War II.  The preserved rooms reminded me of a tourist trap in Scotland, "Scotland's Secret Bunker".  The bunker was promoted as "Scotland's Best Kept Secret".  Unfortunately after our visit, my family and I determined that it was best kept a secret and not worth a visit.  The War Rooms on the other hand were very interesting and included a museum filled with WWII memorabilia and a history of Winston Churchill.

Windsor Castle in the Heathrow
flight pattern!!

Windsor Castle was a 40 minute train ride from the western suburbs of London into the English countryside and is considered to be the queen's residence.  She reportedly spends most weekends there.  Her flag was flying, so we knew she was somewhere on the grounds, but unfortunately she did not make an appearance during out visit.  A tour of the castle guides a visitor by Queen Mary's dollhouse as well as through the State rooms and St. George's Chapel.  The dollhouse was not ever intended to be a house for dolls but rather a house of miniatures.  Queen Mary loved miniatures, so her niece thought of the dollhouse as a gift.  Several artists contributed by providing miniature oil paintings.  A miniature set crown jewels could also be seen in the house that was complete with electricity and indoor plumbing.  The State rooms were decorated with the finest fabric wall paper, silver furniture, and Rembrandt paintings.  The rooms were also filled with swords, rifles, and shields.  I was very impressed with the collection!!!  St. George's Chapel was the burial for 10 kings and 7 queens including King George VI (from the King's Speech) and Queen Elizabeth I (the "Queen Mother").  It was also the wedding location for Prince Charles and Camilla.  

Believe it or not, I had to have a root canal (yes, dental work in the UK!!), so Brian and MeLea were on their own one day.  They took full advantage going to the Tower of London and British Museum.  In the evening, Kevin and I met them for dinner and then took in the beauty of the city from the London Eye.















We loved having Brian and MeLea in town to remind us of how blessed our lives are to be filled with people that are so fun to be with and love us so much.