Back from London

Hi there folks! We've just returned from a short trip to London, which is why I did not write my blog on a daily basis.

We left on the 31st of December and arrived in London in the late afternoon. The town was already pretty busy because of the annual fireworks. Did you know approximately 250,000 people come to watch? It's nearly impossible to walk on the Strand, not to mention getting closer to the Thames banks. Once a section is completely full of people, the police steer the crowd to other places.

Well, as we are getting older and the weather was not too inviting (looked like rain) we were discussing whether or not we'd try to get as near to the Thames as possible. But when we entered our hotel room (we had booked a room in the Pullman hotel near St. Pancras station) we noticed we had the most stunning view over the London Eye from our windows (must mention we were on one of the highest floors). So we decided to have a pajama party in our room. We had bought some wine and something to eat in the Marks & Spencer food store at St. Pancras and we settled to watch some tv before the fireworks started. Actually, we could celebrate the new year twice: first in our time zone, then an hour later in England.

The next day it was pouring with rain. We were watching the New Year's Day Parade, which was actually pretty interesting. I felt pity for all those boys and girls - a lot of them from the warmer parts of the States - we had to endure the rain in their flimsy clothing. Lots of them were shivering from the cold! That evening we went dining at Roux at the Landau, the third restaurant of Michel Roux, who is one of the judges in Master Chef. Absolutely dedicious, albeit a bit pricy. But hey, who worries? We don't have any kids to leave money to, so we can spend all of it.

Yesterday the sun was out and so we went shopping, looking for some bargains as the sales had started. I found some pullovers for a very nice price and also got me something beautiful at Monsoon. Also my sister found some items to her liking. We always prepare ourselves by not filling our suitcases to the brim, so there is some room left for things we buy...

We were lucky to return with one of the earlier Eurostars this morning. We arrived home early in the afternoon. Not an hour later our country was hit by a violent storm, and most trains are not running. There is also a lot of damage, roofs that got away and trees over the road, for instance.