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The Royal Couple
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
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The Duke and Dutchess
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
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Prince William (aka Luke) and
Catherine (aka random girl)
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
There certainly wasn't a shortage of media coverage for the Royal wedding. The national event was one that I will not forget. The school where I work incorporated the wedding into curriculum goals. Literature was filled with reports providing facts of the wedding and Art was dedicated to creating a commemorative plate. I think Math could've been used to calculate the cost of the wedding although the numbers were likely too large for 4th graders to add. The event also provided further insight into the British culture. Although some of the British people are anti-monarchist, most people love their royalty. Members of the royal family are not just celebrities, they appear to be gods in the eyes of some of their loyal subjects. The dream of becoming a prince or princess is alive and well here. I admittedly have caught a bit of the fever. Believe it or not, the real joy and excitement has come in recalling my own wedding with my very own prince. However, in contrast to the royal couple, our marriage may actually test the "for
poorer" portion of the vows.
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London Eye, Big Ben, and
Houses of Parliament
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
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Kevin, me, and Luke in
the London Eye capsule |
In additional to the excitement of the royal wedding, Luke (my brother) came to town for a visit. It's been a joy to have him here. We have celebrated the royal festivities and ventured through some more of London and the surrounding area. We took a ride in the London Eye which is, in essence, a huge ferris wheel that takes 30 minutes to complete the entire rotation and offers incredible views of the city.
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Kevin and me with the Tower of London
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
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Kevin, me, and
a scary dragon
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
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Tower Bridge
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
We also explored the Tower of London where we gawked at the crown jewels including a 530 carat diamond and were captured by a vast collection of armor and artillery.
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View from a park in Bath (Bath Abbey in background)
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
A trip out of the city took us to Bath, a medieval Roman city and one of 28 World Heritage sites in the United Kingdom (Stonehenge and the Tower of London are also on this list). The city was breathtaking. We spent several hours wandering through the streets of the city and relaxing in the park with wine, cheese, and crackers. We toured the Bath Abbey, but decided to forgo viewing the Roman baths. Somehow we did manage a peek at the natural springs which confirmed our decision to avoid a bath.
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Peek at the Roman Bath
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
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Bath Abbey
(photo courtesy of Luke) |
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| Bath Abbey |
Some of the spare time with Luke was spent critiquing 3 "new" (for us) English pubs. We also managed to celebrate his belated birthday. We are so thankful for his life. He is an incredible man that challenges me to love God more and care for
all people.
