Onward to Edinburgh...

We arrived a few days ago into London.  It has gone by so quickly.  We are now in the train up to Edinburgh, sitting next to the definition of “rude Americans” They are talking louder than anyone on the train and have continued to be snotty and loud the whole time so far.

Anyways, back to London. It was really dirty and busy.  Way dirtier than Paris.  As we walked past the cute little red phone booths I noticed they were laced with porno, like the pamphlets that the people hand out in Las Vegas. Why you would want your picture taken with them, I have no idea.   Buckingham Palace was very plain but won my heart over when we watched the changing of the guards. 

 They had everything from bagpipes, kilts, an Irish wolfhound, fuzzy bear-skinned hats and Frank Sinatra.  (That’s right, I heard the royal arms play “I did it my Way by Ol’ Blue Eyes.” My mom commented that she was half expecting the Queen to pop out onto the balcony and sing the chorus.) (I will try to post a video of it later.) 

We also visited Trafalgar Square.  It is so busy and seems like the party place for all the citizens of London. (That is where they have their citizen celebrations for Christmas and such) We also went to the National Gallery. There were rooms and rooms of great art. I saw Paul Delaroche’s Execution of Lady Jane Gray.  (A rather grim look at the end of poor Lady Jane Gray’s life.) Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers was as pretty as you could expect. (I got a huge kick out of the Van Gogh doll in the museum gift shop with a removable ear.) And as always, Monet’s paintings always impress me and the way he uses color is so beautiful.

The best part of our trips has definitely been the dinners. Not particularly the food (the food has been delish though) but the conversation. After the tiring day, we have sat down and had some great family conversations with much laughter, and a little wine. Rehashing some stories from the past that have been controversial (whether Amy flooded the kitchen or not; who Megan dated, what exactly did I do in Montana all those summers) and some that are just humorous, like how my sisters like to embarrass their children.  I love the fact that it has been a long time since were have all been together and it is still fun to just hang out with one another.