The Amazing Race . . .

As I sit here half way through our flight from London back home to Vancouver I am amazed of what we were able to do in 16 amazing days.

It definitely felt like a whirlwind and I am thankful for the most part I was able to keep up with my wife.



From a way to short visit with our wonderful friends the Harts in Wells, to 10 days in Greece with the Meikle's, and back for a 48 hour layover in London I feel like I've been on such a amazing adventure. From the bustle of large cities like Athens and London, to the country and mountainsides Teresa and I did cover a lot of ground. Really there was no rest ask my feet .

In the next days Teresa and I will blog on what moved us, the foods we enjoyed and we will name every town, city, mountain top village we visited ( for our nerdy friends). Below our a few pictures of our last day that captured my eye. My only disappointment in London was we only had one great food experience , that being at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. The food trucks I was in search of we're either on holidays in India or hidden from me.




Ramses at the British Museum



Over shadowed by DumDum



Rosetta Stone



Wish we had the time to eat here at the Hung, Drawn and Quartered Pub




Tower of London was great



Who knows this place?



On Portabello Rd looking for my food trucks.

So a little bit of our time in London, thank everyone for you comments and likes and for following our adventure .

More to follow . . . T and T

Mind the Gap

I was sorry to leave Athens. I was loving the sunny weather and the food and the time with our gracious hosts. But, we had to move on to the next leg of our journey.




London! Here I am at the British Museum. The guide book said the whole place can be done in an hour if you want but it could take days to really enjoy every exhibit. We did a bit of a fast forward version but saw all we could. We both really enjoyed the Egyptian and Greek displays.










We were really tired. But there was still more to see.

We got pretty savvy with the Tube system here. There was always a map in my hand and I obsessively checked to make sure we were in the right spot.

The sun came out after a downpour in the morning.




I felt like a little kid. Silly, big grin on my face all the time. There was some excitement at the Tower of London by some employees and Tom got a good shot on the iPad.



It was rather loud and exciting. Lots of police around and the gates were closed so the marchers couldn't get through to the Tower. Peaceful though....just so my Mom doesn't worry;)

After the Tower we had to navigate to Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen.




We had reservations!! Like, to eat there!!! The food was delicious, simple, fresh and beautiful. The atmosphere in there is lively and fun. It was a huge treat. One of those, "You only live once" experiences.

The next day was our London Pass day. We had a few things we wanted to do so it was full steam ahead from the time our feet hit the floor. Here's a sample of what we saw.






Buckingham Palace was beautiful today. Lots of people milling about in the sunshine and the Flag was flying indicating that the Queen was home.


Queen Victoria Memorial is a great place to people watch and such and impressive piece of art.


Thomas is my hero. He walked SO far over the past couple weeks. It has been good for him. And me :)


I love the red phone booths.


Big Ben. This made me happy because in 1984 when I was here on a school exchange it was all covered in scaffolding and such a huge disappointment!





Westminster Abbey. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. Really majestic architecture.





A little bit of sunshine on the Thames Tour. A most entertaining captain too.


At the Tower of London. Tom cracking jokes. Surprise surprise.


Moi, hamming it up :P





Portobello Road. Delicious food calling to us .....





Peter Pan statue. One of my big likes. Huge Peter Pan and Hook fan.



Waiting. Lots of waiting today.



My biggest treat today was seeing Donna whom I met in 1985 when she stayed with me on our school exchange trip. We had been pen pals since then and when I told her I was coming to London she was eager to meet up.

After the longest day of slow trains and buses we finally met at the hotel where we are staying. It was really good to catch up. We had a great visit and I am so thankful for Donna's effort to get here.

For now folks, I need to get a move on. Time to catch another plane and re-enter our lives back home. Can't wait to see Ethan and Emily and Izzie.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:London, England

Soul food

This post is about the many things that not only nourish my body so I can function but they also nourish my soul. It's the part of myself I often forget about until it's almost too late. Sort of like when you get dehydrated and you start to feel a little woozy or get a headache and things just aren't as clear as they should be.



A table. Preparation for the enjoyment of food and the company of others. My belly was full and my heart was also full after every meal with our friends.




The sea and the sun. So refreshing to my heart. I have said several times to Tom, "This is you and me in Greece". I was in a state of shock for probably 4 days. So grateful!




The view from The Temple of Poseidon.




Quality time with a dear friend. Much needed girl time. Reminding me to be myself. Kind and encouraging and generous.




The anarchist's play in the outdoor theatre. Not my typical crowd but these are people who are so passionate about what they believe. Humbling.




Simple food.




Village meal with the best company, most delicious food, amazing views and local wine(from across the lane).




1,000 year old plane tree in the plaitea. With Tom.




Beaches covered in nature's mosaic of tumbled stones.



Experiencing the sea for the first time. Wild.




Eggplant dip, garlic purée and bread that went with our meal at the tavern above the beach. Simple. Rustic. Savoured.





Almost giggling I am so happy here. Spent a lot of time here swimming and beach combing.




My friends know I love olives and I was happy to shout out the window at them,"hello olives!!" but I also got a chance to hug a tree. Happy!!





Moussaka in a village square with just one other customer on his computer taking advantage of the great wifi ;) The moussaka was Delicious!!!



A meeting place. I could only imagine it full of people in the middle of summer!




Colours and textures were everywhere.





A door window of custom made glass.











A stairway of herbs. Fragrant steps.





Looking out to the sea.




A rainbow treat on our last night in Hotel Petradi, in Kalamaki. On the Pelion Penninsula. Look it up. Stunning area.






The deck of the Hotel where we were able to have breakfast in the sunshine.


We have 2 more nights here in Athens. Tonight I am going up Mt Lycavittos with my friend to see the sunset. Fill my soul with sights and sounds that I will remember for a long time.

What a grand, complicated city this is. Fun.

This is me in Athens.

Teresa

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Greece