Easter Outings

Thursday the 21st: KCWC Palace and Prisons tour in Temple. It ended at St. Bartholomew's church and then we went out to pizza and for a walk.

Friday: Walked through Hyde Park and visited various statues (notably that of Peter Pan). Went to Notting Hill for the fish spa experience. It is like a pedicure but small toothless fish eat the dead skin off your feet...very strange. The Honeys came over for games (Charades, Liebrary, Boulderdash, Celebrities) and we ate lots of delicious varieties of ice cream!

Saturday: Visited a cool exhibition of past royal wedding cakes ("Eat Cake") at the Wellington Arch. There were lots of really ornately decorated cakes as well as models of the Queen's and Princess Diana/Prince Charles' wedding cakes. The Queens was 9 feet tall! Afterwards we made out way to the Seftel's for the weekend. In Winchester we toured St. Cross and the gardens and then walked to a big swimming hole where Dad and Paul swam.

Sunday: Attended the Easter service at Saint Cross where to the biggest surprise ever Gabriella Hills joined us! In the afternoon went on a delightful walk in a blue bell forest and then painted in the back yard.

Monday: Set off early for Highclere Castle otherwise known as the house in Downton Abbey! After touring the house and grounds we returned to London.

Tuesday: Went painting with the Honeys at a ceramic cafe (I made a plate on which I painted a red British bus and English phrases). In the evening attended an event at Banqueting Hall where an actor impersonated King James I (for the anniversary of the King James Bible).

Today: Woke up at 4am to see the dress rehearsal for the royal wedding procession. The bitter cold was worth it to see up close the impressive team of calvary, soldiers and carriages. There were several press crews present and the Entertainment Tonight reps and anchors were kind of embarrassing for the US...royally obsessed. At the reasonable hour of 9 am met the Honeys for Emilia's 9th birthday breakfast at the Serpentine restaurant and shared fun camaraderie. Parting ways I returned to the apartment to collapse in exhaustion until the afternoon when I stopped by Browns, went to Whole Foods and walked the length of the park. This evening took us to see Les Mis (I saw it 4 years ago). It was truly spectacular, better than I remember. The actors voices were some of the best I have ever heard in a musical production-phenominal!