I See London I See France...

A few weeks ago, BB came home from work and said something like, "Instead of going to St. George for our anniversary, what would you think about going to London and maybe France?"
~Really~
It was a tough decision - but I opted to cancel our two nights in Southern Utah in favor of a week in Europe. Yes, the timing was crap - this was mere months from Sina and family living in Paris. However, even without the benefit of Paris's soulmate being there to guide us, it was an incredible experience. I'll just let the {many} pictures speak for themselves...

If we look a little red in the face, it's because we just raced up the steps of the Eiffel Tower.

ok - we didn't race. But I think climbing them was still an accomplishment.

Arc de TriompheHonestly, I think I could have spent the entire day in the Louvre courtyard. Between the people watching and the a-ma-zing architecture, I could have just sat and stared...And then there was the inside of the Louvre...Victor Hugo's home was a decent place for a pitstop...Among other artifacts, they had a first edition Les Miserables. Notre Dame Cathedral was another place I would like to just sit and stare...After Paris, we headed to the English countryside

Warwick Castle is between 750 and 1000 years old. They have re-created the inside of the castle to make it as close to authentic as possible - they even use wax figures to exhibit actions that would be happening in different sections (e.g. washer women working, blacksmiths making weapons and tools, etc.) This was a saddle used by Queen Elizabeth IAnd somehow they managed to get Queen Elizabeth II to come pose for pictures...The back side of WarwickLeeds CastleThe English Channel - you can faintly see France across the waterDover CastleThis is in front of a cottage we stayed in in Lower Slaughter in The CotswoldsStonehenge - not just any old pile of rocks...Stratford upon AvonSo as we were walking down the street in front of Shakespeare's birthplace, I said, "Imagine you are young William Shakespeare and it's the 1500s and you are walking around this town. Do you ever stop to think that in 500 years, this entire town and basically everything about it will be dedicated to you?"

BB responded, "Yeah. If I'm Shakespeare I probably think that's how it should be."

Sadly, the one day we spent in London was rainy and cold. I guess that means we got the whole experience. We braved the weather and the sarcasm of the tourguide to ride on top of a double decker tourbus so we could at least see the main sights...

St. Paul's Cathedral Tower of London Tower Bridge English Parliament Building - Pictures truly do no justice to these buildings. We came out of the underground station to the spectacular sight of Big Ben. Westminster AbbeyThere was something really charming about the red phone booths - however they were usually emptyAnd now that I've stood on Platform 9 3/4, I can die happy :)