Just an FYI, this is a long one!
When we got back to Rachel and Steve's after our scenic trip through the countryside we headed back into London. Our first stop was the Natural History museum. It was so cool. Colin was a bit more enthralled than I was, which he attributes to my supposed "short attention span" while I maintain that I can just process things faster than him ;)
Colin and the rhinos and mammoth tusks (just one pic of many with the dead creatures :))
Dolphin skull in my hands, hippo tooth in Colin's- nbd
After a awe-filled afternoon at the museum we clicked out heels and ended up at Wimbledon. We went there under the pretext of being able to get recycled tickets half way through the day. Recycled tickets are olympic tickets that are resold at a lower price after the original ticket holder leaves the arena. Unfortunately Wimbledon was not recycling tickets as we had hoped :( Fortunately Colin is persistent :) After talking to every official near the gates, and being reassured that we would not get tickets we started to leave (2 hours later) dejected and sad as we heard the announcers and the occasional uproar of the crowd inside. As we were leaving though, this group of Swiss individuals gave two tickets to another couple. Colin ran after them and asked if they had anymore tickets. Like a true Negative Nancy I waited up ahead for Colin, sure that they didn't have any more. Colin got two tickets from the Swiss Olympic Committee that landed us two rows away from the photographers. Way to be bold Colin Taylor!
Woohoo, tickets!
We got in!
Our seats
We weren't actually on Centre court, but it's still a cool picture :)
The French men's double team that beat the Spanish after 18 matches... they later got beaten by AMERICA in the gold medal match :) Thanks to the length of this match we weren't able to see the Williams sisters (their match got postponed)
Soon after our Wimbledon success I went to trampoline gymnastics with Rachel. It was really fun to watch. Rachel and I came up with our own scoring methodology and proudly added our peanut gallery commentary to the event. Luckily for everyone in the arena we couldn't be heard over the pop music.
The next weekend we made a pilgrimage to Kent to reconnect with the rest of the Taylor clan. Colin had previously promised me a proper British experience when we met his gran, aunt Lynn, and uncle Hugh. Proper doesn't begin to describe the experience. Our first stop was to see Lynn and Hugh for lunch. Lynn and Hugh were welcoming and warm. Their home was beautiful, the traditional chicken roast was delicious, and the tea and biscuits in the garden made it the perfect afternoon. At times I felt as if I was in a PBS airing of a BBC television show. Hugh kept telling me that I hadn't really realized what I was getting into when I married Colin without meeting the rest of the family, but I couldn't be happier to be part of this family.
Us with Lynn and Hugh
After lunch we went to visit Gran. It was really special to meet her. Colin has fond memories of her from when he was younger, and he has been excited to see her again and introduce me to her. She had a regal air about her, and she was wonderful to visit with.
Lynn, Gran, Colin and Rachel
Me, Gran and Colin
Later that same day Colin went with Steve and Liam to see beach volleyball. They said it was a great venue and that the fans were a lot of fun! USA women were playing and apparently they got more support from the crowds because they weren't wearing spandex under there bikinis, BUT remember, it's all about the sport! Rachel and I couldn't get tickets so we treated ourselves to Thai food :)
We went back into London a few times that week. One day we went to the Tower of London. Colin loved the armory, and I got bored quite quickly. We got to see the royal jewels in another section though, and my spirits lifted considerably.
In front of a bridge with the Olympics rings
See the knight, be the knight
Gruesome chopping block and other items- a lot of blood was shed at the Tower of London
Outside Tower of London with an obliging Beefeater
That evening we got to meet up with one of John's school friends and his family. They brought some old photos of John that gave us a good laugh. We ended the night at an interesting ice cream shop that had black walls adorned with a sign that lit up purple letters saying "God Save the Cream." Robin, his wife Jane, their son Alex, his girlfriend, and their daughter Jess was really fun. We had a great time talking to them. We hope they'll come visit us in Spain!
Colin, Me, Jane, Robin, Alex and his girlfriend, and Jess
On one of our last trips into London we traded our handball tickets for women's USA volleyball. Since the volleyball game wasn't until the next day we went to the Shakespearean Globe theater and managed to get two tickets for that nights show! It was one of the best productions we have ever seen. We saw Richard III. The characters were hilarious and grim at the same time. At one point an airplane flew overhead and Richard III busted out some unscripted Shakespearean language to express his fear of the monstrous bird.
The stage
The theater from outside
On our last day in London, before the Volleyball game we went and saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace.
Then we headed to Earl's Court for volleyball! The women beat South Korea pretty heartily, but during every set they went almost point for point. We had a few good chants of USA, USA, USA!
Our final Olympic event was men's soccer! We went out to a stadium in Cardiff, Wales. We saw Japan play South Korea, and our seats were great! The only thing that could have made it better was if Japan had won.
On our final day in England we had a beautiful lunch with all of the family in England minus Rebecca and Gran. It was wonderful to meet everyone. Hugh had brought some old photo albums we were able to see a lot of fun pictures of everyone! Here's one to add to the next album!
That concluded our England trip! Our family and friends made it unforgettable. We'll definitely be back again- probably before Rachel and Steve have fully recovered from our 2.5 week stay in their home :)
What a great reception and experience you had in England. Love seeing and hearing about it. Keep up the good reports!
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