weekend recap

i had the most wonderful weekend in london. it was so nice to see michael and meet all of his new friends — not to mention to explore london when, for once, it wasn't gray and rainy! i feel like that counts as a once-in-a-lifetime. michael seems to already have mastered the tube so we made a stop at buckingham palace, witnessed a protest at the national gallery, stopped by the park where michael played when his family lived in london, and watched a spectacular sunset from the london eye.

in front of buckingham palace.

national gallery, scene of...

...this protest. apparently the british police have been confiscating cameras and forcing people to delete digital photos of public places for fear that they are somehow contributing to the next terrorist attack. these people had gathered in trafalgar square, taking pictures of anything and everything and sporting signs that said, "i'm a photographer, not a terrorist."

first glimpse of big ben (many, many more to follow).

amazing view from the london eye — we could not have picked a better time to go.

london and sunshine? two words that don't normally go together.

i know i got a bit carried away...

...but i promise i did take some time to turn off my camera and just take it all in.

last one i swear!

traveling by myself was actually much more pleasant than i had anticipated. it's not to say that i mind having company on the road (and god knows i got my fill with our routine family car trips with six people and two dogs packed into one vehicle) but there's something to be said for figuring it out all on your own. this was really my first experience venturing out on my lonesome (obviously short of local car trips to places like the dentist's office, to which my father will attest i still need directions) and i already feel much more independent. the experience forced me to read maps (never a strong suit) and think on my feet (in french — because practice makes perfect).