Life in the UK

Wow, it's been a few days. Our time in Aberdeen was good ... or "gute" as the Scottish say. The weather was "diabolical" according to our hostess ... it was pretty chilly and we were once again greeted by snow. I still got to see the sea, visit a castle and even saw the face of a few sheep. They're pretty cute up close!

I really enjoyed life in Scotland and wished that I got to see more of the country. There were some really quaint fisherman's villages that we got to visit with little coffee shops that you just don't see where I come from. Starbuck's just wouldn't do. We were told that we'd have to come back when the weather's better, so I'm looking forward to my next visit to Scotland when I can also include Ireland in the mix.

The Scottish countryside was beautiful ... rolling hills and snow-capped peaks ... and grazing sheep. Did I mention the sheep? Oh, and I tried to get invited to a Scottish wedding just so I could get photos of the guys in kilts ... it didn't work. Oh well, maybe next time.

On Tuesday we flew back to London and braved the Underground (subway) to get to the home of some of my parent's relatives. I have only one question ... what happened to the value of the US dollar? Everything here's much more expensive than anywhere else we've been and the dollar is only worth about 1/2 £ (Pound). It definitely doesn't make buying chocolate easy.

London weather has also been true to form ... it was cloudy most of today and didn't make for great photo-taking weather. So, today we took my friend Matt's advice and boarded one of the open-air tour busses and spent the day taking in the sights. Here's the synopsis:

• Buckingham Palace is smaller than you'd think (according to my sister)
• Westminster Abbey is HUGE!
• There is a really large theatre district in London ... I got to see the Lion King tonight and it was fabulous!
• McDonald's is a friendly face when you're hungry and running out of £s (got to find an ATM soon) ... and are in need of a free toilet.
• Krispy Kreme is in the UK!!!
• Starbucks is on every corner
• I got to see Tony Blair's hair as his car was escorted by our bus today ... I looked too late to catch his face.
• Kensington Palace (where Princess Diana lived) made me sad ... the grounds are beautiful, but it's a constant reminder of a life that's no longer with us.
• There's an interesting statue in Trafalgar Square that bears a striking resemblance to Lord Farquhard from Shrek ... still not sure who that guy was.

Well, we leave for Wales on Saturday, so I may have one more opportunity to blog. If not, I'll see those of you from Houston soon!