London

London was the first stop on our adventure. We arrived around noon and hit the ground walking. (We did a lot of walking.) Our hotel was across the street from the Tower of London and right next to Tower Bridge. (Tower Bridge is the one most people think is called London Bridge. There is a London Bridge, but Tower Bridge is the famous one that everybody sees in postcards.) Anyway, we took the rest of the afternoon and went on a tour of the Tower of London. It was used as a royal residence, a prison, a fort, and many other things. Of course my favorite thing we saw inside the walls were the Crown Jewels.

The Sisters at Tower Bridge

That night we went to the musical Wicked. This was my second favorite thing we did on the trip. (My first was in Paris and I will talk about that when I write my Paris blog.) The musical was awesome; the sound, the singing, all of it was great. It’s a must see.

Rebecca and I in front of the Apollo Victoria Theatre

The next day we spent visiting the major attractions like Buckingham Palace, witnessing the changing of the guard, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square where we saw famous paintings such as Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks. We ate dinner at a quaint restaurant along the Thames River.

-British Royal Guard-

Mariah, me and Big Ben

Our final day was spent outside of London, seeing Stonehenge, the city of Bath and of course Windsor Castle (no the Queen wasn’t in.) I wondered a little as to what makes Stonehenge so famous, it must be the mystery, because no one knows why it was built and all they could tell us were theories. I like the alien one best.

Stonehenge: Rebecca and I

The city of Bath was cool. The city was founded around the only natural occurring hot springs in the United Kingdom. Again with the Romans, what an amazing bunch of people. They were the first ones to build the city and because of the hot springs they built Roman bath houses, which are like modern day spas. Such smart people. I really liked Windsor Castle but I am a sucker for stuff that has to do with Kings and Queens. We got to go through part of the castle, walk around some of the grounds and see St. George’s church. London was my third favorite place out of the cities we visited.

Summer Walks

I love taking walks especially in the summer time. Lately, most of my walks have been in flip flops, so they aren't very strenuous, but they are long, so I figure that makes up for it. I just love being outside and taking it all in.

Rome

I’m going to give an account of my European vacation by reporting on each of the cities I visited and I will start off with my favorite city which was Rome. A good way to summarize Rome was I was pleasantly surprised. The reason I say this is because the first place we visited in Rome was the Basilica of St. Mary of Angels. It was a church that was built from an old Roman ruin and wasn’t much to look at on the outside. However, once you stepped inside the church it was a different story. It was awesome inside; vaulted ceilings, marble floors and pillars of all different colors, amazing sculptures and beautiful paintings on the walls and ceilings. After this church it just kept getting better.

Mariah and I inside the Basilica of St. Mary of Angels

We had dinner at an “Italian” restaurant and were serenaded by a group of “Italian” singers.

One of the Hot Italian singers with Rebecca & Mariah

We visited Vatican City where we saw some of the most famous paintings in the world the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo; we walked the Spanish Steps and threw coins in the Trevi Fountain where we wished that one day we can return to Rome. We saw the Coliseum and Roman ruins and wondered what it would have been like to see Rome back in the days when the Romans were ruling the world.

Vatican City

Making a Wish at Trevi Fountain.

Roman Coliseum

I loved the sight seeing and visiting all of the famous places, but one thing I also really enjoyed about Rome was swimming in the Mediterranean. On our last day I was tired and hot and didn’t want to walk around any more so my sisters and I took the Metro to the beach, where we played in the waves and had some fun in the sun.

Rebecca and I in the Mediterranean Sea

Save the Date

My sister Mariah is getting hitched. It is finally official and they have set the wedding date for September 1st. Nick proposed the night before we left to Europe. Congratulations you two!

The Happy Couple!

Au Revoir

That means goodbye in French. My two sisters and I are off on a 12 day European vacation. We will be visiting London, Paris and Rome. When I return I will be sure to tell you all about our adventures.

Girls Weekend in St. George

“Club” as we now officially call it, spent a wonderful weekend in St. George. We left the husbands and kids at home to have some fun in the sun. We spent the weekend hanging out at the pool, going to the Spa, playing Guitar Hero (of course) and Dance Dance Revolution, watching movies, talking, laughing a lot and all in all having a terrific time. Our “club” first started out as a book club, but it has turned into so much more. We now have dinner and have thought about adding a craft too. The time flies by while I’m with these girls. The four hour drive to St. George didn’t seem half that long because we were sharing stories and laughing so much. I had so much fun and hope we do another trip real soon.