New Years in London

We returned from Ireland to London for a week at Lori's flat.  Doug and his family joined us as well for a week of shows, sight-seeing and food.

Columbia Road Flower Market.  It was a little sparse on a cold weekend after Christmas.  But it was an outdoor activity that kept the Browne's awake after their trans-Atlantic flight.  

A great title for a shop at the Market..."Stoned and Plastered"

We visited Harrod's for their after Christmas sale...along with a million other people.  

Only available at Harrods.  Your own personal hovercraft.  

One cold morning we walked across the bridge to Westminster Abbey.  The air was perfectly clear (very unusual for London) so I got a great shot of Big Ben.  

The front of Westminster

Paddington was at the entrance to the Churchill War Rooms, a museum of the underground rooms where Churchill directed the war efforts.  

St Paul's Cathedral

We climbed to the top of St. Paul's and were rewarded with this view of downtown.  The Cathedral is located at the highest point in London.  Then we climbed 528 steps to reach the top viewing area.    

I found this sign on the way up.  Seems like a mean trick. 

We shopped at the food stalls of Borough Street Market.  Doug is not a big brussels sprout fan.  We had never bought them still on the stalk before.   

Thanks to Dave (Doug's Dad) the boys got to attend a Premier League Football (soccer) game.  Tottenham upset the top ranked Chelsea team 5-3.  Great fun.  No hooligans.  

New Years Eve Dinner

We saw two shows....Book of Mormon and....

....Jersey Boys.  Grant loves this show with all the quartet music.  

The real reason to go to London......a chance to visit the Harry Potter Studios outside of the city.  Once they were done filming movies, the studios were opened up for tours.  We even took the  Knight Bus to get there.  

Grant & Lori at the gates of Hogwarts

The wands of all the major characters in the movies.

Dumbledore's Office

Snape's Potions Lab

Kate warms up with a real butterbeer

Kate and Doug drive the Weasley's car

Kate and Grant in front of wizard's chess pieces from the first movie. 

The electronics were amazing.  Much better than Abe Lincoln welcoming you to the Hall of Presidents at Disney.  

The model used to film Hogwarts

At the end, we all flew to Holland where Kate got a chance to see Graber for the first time in 18 months.  

We also caught up with the entire Sechler family for what seemed like the first time in ......

......over 10 years.  

And then everyone went home, to work and to school and Graber was left all alone.