Day 1 in London

Holy Moly what a day! Peter and I are exhausted. We arrived early to London at 6 am in the morning, their time (that's 12 am for us). We got on the "tube" or London's metro with all of our bags. We went halfway through the city, got off at our stop, and wandered around until we found our hotel. Of course, we couldn't check in until 2 pm so we checked our big bags and sat off again... on no sleep. I found a Starbuck's for my first London meal. After a grande coffee frappucino and a chocolate chunk flatbread (kind of like a breakfast cookie/scone) we decided to go speed sight-seeing. We saw Big Ben, the London Eye, the London Bridge, the Tower of London, the Thames River, the Parliament building... and WESTMINSTER ABBY WHERE WILLS AND KATES GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Insert cheesy photos of me flashing my fake ring and asking random people to take my photo while telling them I have a fake Kate Middleton ring. People on the tube noticed my ring and nudged their friends. I told Peter they must just be impressed with me.... bah ha ha ha ha. So, Westminster Abby costs a whopping 15 pounds a person just to go inside. That's like a bazillion dollars a person in U.S. dollars. I think I will suffice with seeing the front of the building. Instead, I beelined for the gift shop and bought out every Will and Kate wedding postcard I could find. Peter stopped me at the Will and Kate commemerative Christmas ornament, 2012 calendar, and coffee mug. Might have to pick those up somewhere else...

For lunch, we got to meet a long lost friend of mine from elementary school for lunch here in London because she lives here now. :) We dined on Italian out on a patio. It was so random to know someone in the U.K. and be able to talk about Frederick with someone who actually knows what you are talking about... so cool.

This evening was a life-changing experience in more than one way. I had London fish and chips... my my. Their fish and chips are no Long John Silver's with a bucket o' hush puppies. The bartender brought me out a whole fish that was fried. IT HAD A TAIL AND SILVERY SKIN UNDER THE DEEP FRIED COVER. I braved it... but I don't know about doin' that all over again. Better to stick with fish sticks.

Most important news of all: PETER TOOK ME TO THRILLER LIVE, THE MICHAEL JACKSON MUSICAL! Let's put it this way... tears may have streamed down my face during their version of Man in the Mirror. I danced away in the balcony with a bunch of other crazy fans. Best 3 hours of my life.

On to sleep and more adventures tomorrow... Cheerio. :)
Kate

The Airport Experience

So... we are sitting in the airport waiting to board the plane. Peter has special status because he flies so much so we got to wait in the business lounge. He convinced me to go in there because he said there would be free snacks. You know what these businessy people eat for snacks? Carrots and ranch dip, apples, and trail mix. Are they for real? We had two seats saved and Peter got up to go to the restroom. In the 2 minutes he was gone, a wealthy old man came and put his stuff all over Peter's chair. I was dumbfounded.

When Peter returned, I told him we were surrounded by a bunch of rich puppets and I wanted to be with the real people. So, we left the business lounge in search of real food... aka an Auntie Anne's pretzel with a lemonade. That's more like it... better people watching too!

The next post will be in London... I have my fake Kate Middleton ring on as I write.

Cheerio,

Katie Wileyington

Vacation 2011: The U.K.F. Food Frenzy

And so it begins... Peter and I are heading to England, Scotland, and France for the road trip of a century. :) God Bless Peter for planning this entire vacation down to every minute detail. I have not been the slightest bit of help to him with planning the details because I can't sit still long enough to preview hotels or places to visit. When he asked me what I most wanted to see in the U.K. or France I replied, "Crepes, fish and chips, scones, afternoon tea, cupcakes... and Kate Middleton." So, Peter google earthed the closest pubs, tearooms, and cupcakeries across our journey. Woo hoo! Kate Middleton is the last detail we haven't worked out yet- I sure hope I see her from afar on our trip so I can wave. After all, I did purchase a fake sapphire engagement ring to wear while I am there as well as numerous giant headbands. My first souvenir stop is for a giant hat. Sweet.

Fingers crossed and prayers for a safe flight. First stop is London!

Love,
The "Wileyingtons"
(We need to sound more like British Royalty while we are over there...)