Want some FUN Challenges this weekend?

Come check this out!

Stay-cation online Crop Friday June 12th-15th Are you one of the many people that found themselves canceling their vacation this year? Maybe you decided on postponing it or scaling it back to a long weekend. Either way, Serendipity has the crop for you. We are celebrating Staying Home with a Stay-cation crop. Our Design Team has come up with clever challenges based on our favorite vacation spots and local treasures that we are celebrating. Just because you can’t go away this time of year doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate a summer Stay-cation. As with all of our crops, we give away an awesome prize package for the Queen of the Crop, not to mention each challenge and game is good for a RAK.Hope to see you there. Stay-cation forum Starts 9am Pacific/noon EST Friday the 12th

I've done a couple of the challenges already and they're great fun. Finally motivated me to get my but in gear and scrap again.

Tower Bridge & Tower of London

My last day in England was spent visiting Covent Garden Market (not as exciting as Camden market & much more crowded). Then we went to The Tower of London via Route Master Bus (that's the old ones). At the Tower we hunted gargoyles, harassed the Beefeaters (for directions to the gargoyles mind you), wore bunny ears, coveted the Queen's Bling, viewed Henry VIII's armor collection, and really wanted a cup of tea. Outside the Tower we watched the Tower Bridge open and let a "pirate ship" through. How do we know it was a pirate ship? Because the 5 year old nearby said so. Then we walked across the Tower Bridge, through docklands, and had dinner at a place with horrible service.







If you want to see more of my trip photos check out my shutterfly page

Tate Modern & The London Eye

These Kung Fu Bunny Statues near Trafalgar Square inspired us.












Does this place look familiar dad?





Proof that I rode on the London Eye. :)

In Jaz's Words

Copy/Pasted from the blog of Jaz...

She's gone on a Big Bus Tour of London with my hot pink Jimmy Choo heels, been to Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral, had a cup of tea by Nelson, been to the Queen's humble abode, walked down the Mall, went Gargoyle hunting, molested Kung Fu Bunnies behind Admiralty Arch, seen some lions at Trafalgar Square, survived John Barrowman wiggling his arse in the Royal Albert Hall, found a phone box that didn't smell like a public toilet (for anyone that wants the obligatory photo, it's the one by the entrance to the Royal College of Music), walked down Carnaby Street to Mayfair and on through Hyde Park, sat in deckchairs by the Serpentine Lake, laughed at me standing in the Diana Memorial Fountain, seen a creepy exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery with projectors (worked in a Groban joke there as well), found Platform 9 3/4, fell in love with the awesomeness of Camden Lock Market, had cinnamon tea in the best tea shop in the world overlooking the Regent's Canal, ate at the Camden Brasserie, mooched through Chinatown, seen Soho, had dinner at Balans on Old Compton Street, scoffed a cannoli and coffee at Bar Italia, been a Beatle up at Abbey Road, saw where the Tardis landed by Lambeth Palace, spotted the Lambeth Walk, and walked over Waterloo Bridge at sunset. Think that's it.

Still to come when she gets back from Sal's tomorrow...the giant Paperchase store, Tate to Tate, the London Eye (where we hope to recreate the Kung Fu Bunny pose), speedboating on the Thames (weather permitting), pie and chips in the Lyceum Tavern, Covent Garden, Tower of London, dinner at Butler's Wharf, a couple of museums, taking K9 for a walk in my local park, recreating a pic her dad had taken on the Albert Embankment in the 70s, and probably a couple more things I can throw in there for free. This evening she experienced the great British tradition of having someone fall onto the train line, meaning you are diverted to God knows where by the train operator, and having to find your way back to where you'd hoped to end up. Bonus for her...she got to kind of see Swindon.

Random Fave London Photos

Jaz took this one of my cons with Big Ben (she also took most of the pics in the Abbey Rd post- except the last 2). Big Ben is the BELL inside the clock tower...NOT the name of the tower. We did get to hear it chime, and the bells at Westminster too. Which was lovely.




Me at The Queen's place. She was home, there were lots of policemen & guards with big guns about... and her flag was flying. Jaz took this one too.


Victoria Tower at Parliament... from the top of a moving bus.


Dear Sherry & Jen... the Tardis landed here!!! Lambeth Palace.


Prince Albert Memorial outside RAH.
Jaz in the Diana fountain.
Carnaby Street.
Tower Bridge.
St. Paul's and one of the original buses...not many of them around anymore.
Lion statue near the London Eye.

Big Ben through the London Eye at sunset.

Westminster Abbey & St. Paul's Cathedral

Two of the stops on the Big Bus Tour were Westminster Abbey & St. Paul's. We went inside both, but since they are places of worship they don't allow photos inside, which was kind of killing me...I was composing so many pictures in my head... the interiors of both were just stunning, the stained glass, statuary, and architecture. WOW. Awestruck I was. We had tea in the crypt at St. Paul's, right down the hall from Horatio Nelson... I had shortbread with lavender in it and the best crisps (potato chips) ever! They were piper's crisps brand, with sea salt and cider vinegar. SO GOOD!!

Here are a few outside pics.

Saint Paul's

Westminster Abbey...gargoyle hunting!!!
We even brought a few home.

I managed to get SUNBURNED in England. I hardly ever get sunburned in AZ...for some reason I find this funny.

Abbey Road and Royal Albert Hall

Monday Jaz showed me around London. She's full of interesting trivia about London, seeing as she grew up here. Her flat is pretty much smack dab in the middle of everything!

We took the bug up to Abbey Rd. where the Beatles did their famous album cover in the crosswalk (zebra crossing if you are a Brit) and the studio where tons of wonderful music has been recorded- yes, even Josh has recorded there!! We signed the wall ( as is tradition) and sort of recreated that famous photo...it was more like me flying across the crossing, as the street was very busy!

Got back on the bus and got off at Oxford Circus, where we had art for lunch... beautiful sandwiches and a berry tart to die for! We walked through Carnaby Street where all the girls used to show off their miniskirts and gogo boots in the 60s. Trekked through HydePark and sat in some deck chairs by the lake giggling about the blokes in a boat in front of us. We continued through the park, stopping at the Princess Di fountain where Jaz checked something of her list of 50 things to do before her next birthday, jumping into a fountain. We continued on through the park and stopped in some creepy art museum. Then went onwardsto the Prince Albert Memorial which is stunning in the sunshine with all the gilding. Then I squeed my face off as I was at the site of CHESS 2008...Royal Albert Hall. Lovely building! I caressed it. We had a lovely dinner in the posh restutant inside with Jaz's 2 lovely friends: Kat and Kate. I had lamb and a chocolate tart that was perfection. We dashed downstairs just in time for the show to begin. Got to our awesome seats... oggled Jaz's Chess seat which was literally ON the stage (jealous much!?) and the show started right away. John Barrowman was lovely. Completely hilarious. I especially liked the 'Scottish Musical' bit (it's probably on youtube) with the hot dancers in leather kilts. (I though of you Lou!!) After the show we grabbed a taxi back to the Jaz flat and caused mayhem on __grobs.

sandwich art
the only phone box in London that does not smell of wee. It's behind the RAH.
yummy tart- heavenly.
caressing the door at RAH.
How excited am I to be here?? (Royal Albert Hall)

doing The Beatles thing.
wall signage
Deck chairs by the lake in Hyde Park
2 blokes in a boat... the name of our future pub.
More to come from yesterday's adventures... we rode on the Big Bus Tour all over London in the top of an open air double decker bus. It was great fun and I think I saw all the big London landmarks!

The Globe Theatre

I am going to break these down into smaller posts about each place in London I've seen, because I have taken SO many pictures!!! Sunday, Sal & I took the train into London and went to The Globe by tube after dropping my things at Jaz's flat. I was a little sad we didn't get there in time for the tour, but the play was fantastic. Romeo & Juliet at The Globe in London...now I can never watch the play again (you know unless Clon Firth or someone decided to star in it. LOL) because really not much could top that Shakespeare. The seats were horridly uncomfortable, but it was authentic. :)


inside The Globe
outside
The Tube... the famous London underground. I took this at London Bridge station.
The Millennium Bridge (know by locals as the wobbly bridge, because that's what it did when they first opened it... but it's fixed now.)


After the play we walked across that bridge and then down the Thames a bit. I was feeling yucky so we taxied back to Jaz's where I had to take a nap because I felt so icky... migraine with nausea & dizziness. Bleh. So we didn't go on the London Eye as planned, but later this week we'll be doing that.

London

This post is a bit condensed...I am very tired, but NOT BROKEN anymore!!!

Yesterday... Romeo & Juliet at the Globe=awesome.

Today... Abbey Rd, Hyde Park, Carnaby Street, Royal Albert Hall for John Barrowman concert.
It was an awesome day!

Small picture post... over here on LJ.

Will do a bigger picture post on Weds. afternoon after the big bus tour.

Later this week: Camden Market, Speedboat down the Thames, Hampton Court, Covent Garden, Tate's Art Galleries, London Eye...& school with Sally.