Dad and RJs visit

Over Christmas dad and RJ visited. Had a wonderful time doing all sorts of things. Covent Garden, Hampton Court Palace, Westminster Abbey for a Christmas concert. We went to Stonehenge and Bath. Took in some culture at the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert. Shopping at Harrods and Fortnum and Mason. And Christmas itself was amazing to have family around and all the fantastic eats that Mo made.

Well Dad and RJ were away in Dublin over New Year's, RJ had a medical problem that prevented her from flying. This meant no flying home to Boston, at least for a while. I'm sure it was stressful for them but for us it just meant an extra couple of weeks for visiting.

1- Christmas mimosas
2- on our way into Westminster concert
3- some creepy Druid outside our bus at Stonehenge on the winter solstice
4- The greatest henge
5- nerds outside the British Museum

Muggle Quiddich

Only in London can we stumble across a full on competitive muggle quiddich match while out walking Albert.

Christmas markets in Paris

Before the holidays, we decided to take a weekend trip to Paris to check out all the Christmas markets. After work we hoped the EuroStar from St. Pancras took just two hours to get to Gare du Nord.

We stayed right next to the Sacre Coeur Cathedral, where they had one Christmas market in the morning. The next day we checked out onse at Notre Dame, St. Germain and on the Champs. I like the one at the Eiffel Tower the best.

We walked around Montmartre at night with and looking for French street food.

Left early Monday morning two hours back straight to work. Measy squeezy

Inchcailloch Island, Loch Lomond

So, we were going on a little hike in Loch Lomond, which you'll know is Scotland's big national park. We took this tiny little ferry boat out to an ancient island. Beautiful day, but the fog was rolling in so we were pretty much the only ones on there. It's a bit creepy, and foggy and dark, but we hike the whole thing, couple hours.
We hike up to where a nunnery stood from 734AD, not much left but the foundation of the church covered in moss. The cemetery there is still sort of in use though, the last burial being in1947. or so we read on a information board nearby that told us that Scottish burials are no sober affair. It has been said that one one occasion that the attendants were so drunk from whisky, that they nearly for got to bury the body....
So, we're checking out all the ancient headstones, and mo spots, of all things, a geocache stuck in the foundation wall. Awesome!
As we are digging it out, my knees fell out from under me when I looked over the other side of the foundation wall.