London
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Vacation Plans
I might possibly have mentioned before that I love London. Does that sound familiar? Do you have a vague memory of me rhapsodizing about England and bookstores and gardens? I thought you might. Well. We are going to do it all over again. We are going to England again in April and this time we are taking the kids with us. I know. Just think of all the posts I am going to get out of this trip. Prepare to be inundated with London photos. It is going to be a very different trip since we will have the kids with us. London has always been our place. We spend…
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London Snapshots
This is a purely self-indulgent post. I have five million more pictures of London just sitting on my computer and it seems a pity not to share them, or so it appears to me. If I am being honest, I wish I was back in London right now and this gives me an excuse to dream a bit. I hope you enjoy my completely random selection of photographs. The pictures above are all from Greenwich. We love wandering through the park there and when you get to the top, up by the Greenwich Observatory, there are some great views of London. There is also a nice Oxfam bookshop in Greenwich…
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A Day Out–Bletchley Park
On the last full day of our trip to London, we took the train to Bletchley. It was an easy trip from Euston station, under an hour, and only 16 GBP for a return ticket. Bletchley Park is clearly marked and you can walk to it in under 5 minutes from the train station. Bletchley Park was the site of top-secret code-breaking during WWII. The codebreakers regularly cracked codes of the Axis powers including the German Enigma. Their work is credited with shortening the war by two to four years. The movie, The Imitation Game has helped to bring the work of these men and women into focus for many.…
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A Visit To Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens encompasses over 300 acres and 50,000 plant species. The gardens were created in the 18th century and over the years have collected plants internationally. They are a resource for scholars and a means of conservation. They are also beautiful. Kew Palace was open to tour when we were there. It was used as a retreat by King George III and Queen Charlotte during his periods of “madness.” The royal kitchens were also open to tour. I like touring homes and palaces, they are usually beautiful and impressive. However, my favorite part is usually the kitchens. They make the house come alive. The ornate rooms are sometimes hard to…
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My Seventeen Books
London is a book shopping paradise. I bought seventeen books while I was there and I could have easily doubled or tripled that number. I had to restrain myself to one or two books per bookshop. Yes, we went to a lot of bookshops. My husband is a very patient man. Let’s start with the bookshop I absolutely was not going to miss. Come hell or high water, I was going to Persephone Books. I love this shop. The books are pretty, the staff is friendly, and I have never bought a book there that I didn’t like. Plus, there is a coffee shop conveniently next door for my husband.…
