Scrapbook: London

We just returned from an amazing weekend in London! We were hoping to take advantage of the long weekend (American holidays in Belgium are great since you get the day off without the holiday weekend rush), the after-Christmas sales, and the ability to relax and speak English for 72 blissful hours. We did plenty of shopping and talking and also got our cultural fix through a performance of Billy Elliot, a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, and a changing the guards ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Here are a few of our favorite shots from the trip:

{Goofing around in our lovely room at the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair}

{Grosvenor Square, steps from our hotel. If you look closely, you can see the US Embassy directly behind me}

{Window shopping the chic stores of New Bond St.}

{Doing some actual shopping at the slightly more reasonable stores near Oxford St.}

{Green Park en route to Buckingham Palace}

{Fighting the crowds at the changing the guards ceremony}

{Chinatown at night}

{Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre--one of the best musicals I've ever seen!}

{Alex looking forward to a proper English breakfast}

{He was not disappointed!}

{High tea, including scones, clotted cream and jam, at Richoux}

{Pub grub: delicious fish and chips!}

{Cheers! How do you not love that slogan?}

IF YOU GO...

In case you're planning to visit London, here are some tips from our trip:

STAY

Millennium Hotel London Mayfair:

http://www.millenniumhotels.co.uk/millenniummayfair/index.html

EAT

The Only Running Footman (Pub): http://therunningfootmanmayfair.com/

Benares (Indian): http://www.benaresrestaurant.com/

Richoux (Tearoom): http://www.richoux.co.uk/

Allans (Cafe): http://allanspatisserie.com/

DO

Billy Elliot: www.victoriapalacetheatre.co.uk

National Portrait Gallery: http://www.npg.org.uk/

Changing the Guards at Buckingham Palace:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/royaleventsandceremonies/changingtheguard/overview.aspx

Scrapbook: Sweden

We spent NYE with our dear friend Emily in Stockholm, where she now lives. Emily and I grew up together in Berkeley, and she was my maid of honor, so it's really exciting that we are a short 2+ hour flight from each other living so far away from our hometown. We had an amazing time catching up, exploring the city and ringing in the New Year at her family's country home.

Here's a look back at our trip:

{At the Amsterdam airport enjoying some Heinekens as we wait for our flight to Stockholm}

Stockholm scenery:

We spent NYE at Emily's family's house in Tyresö, right outside of Stockholm:

At midnight, we went outside to drink champagne, roast marshmallows, light sparklers and watch a fireworks show in the freezing, frigid air:

Such a fun trip! Thanks for being a great hostess, Em!