London

1/7/2017

It’s hard to put into words how incredible our time in London was.

To start, having “tour guides” (ie. mom, dad, John, Robert and Madi) that were living in London meant that we didn’t just see the main tourist attractions. Yes, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London etc. were incredible….but it was even cooler walking the less travelled streets, hitting up the lesser known markets, shops and restaurants and taking in the concerts of local churches that we wouldn’t have known to visit otherwise! This was my fourth time visiting London, but the first time I’ve left feeling that I’d actually made a dent in really getting to know the city!

Second, it was amazing getting to see where my parents have been “doing life” for the past few months! It’s one thing to hear about their apartment, their fave coffee shops, churches, restaurants, grocery stores, public squares, Laundromat, walking/running routes, or even to see them on FaceTime, but it was SO much better see those places in person! Now when I talk to my parents on the phone, I’ll be able to picture exactly where they are and what they’re doing!

Third, there’s nothing like family time! The older I get, the more I appreciate how precious the time when we’re ALL together is. This break we got to spend A LOT of quality time together- 8 of us stayed in my parents’ 700sqft apartment for 11 days! Talk about a GOOD TIME! ;) When my family is together, you can guarantee there will be laughs, good (often challenging) conversation, a slue of activities on the go and lots of love! Our time in London involved all that and more! I boarded the plane headed for Toronto with blistered feet (we averaged over 20,000 steps a day), a tummy full of Cappuccino and a phone full of new captured memories (mostly thanks to the selfie stick), feeling SO thankful to God for an amazing vacation in London!

Here are WAY TOO MANY photos from the trip...in no particular order: