@brittarnhild
I was 15 the first time I came to London. It was summer, I took part in a summer language school in Hastings, south in Great Britain, and we came up to London twice, once for sightseeing, another for a musical, Jesus Christ Superstar.
The nest time I came I was 19, spending two hot summer weeks here with a friend. Then three years later I came again for two weeks, this time for our honeymoon.
Since then I have come back, and back, and back and back again. Trips with Terje, trips with each of the kids when they turend 10 (except for Marta, she wanted to go to Venice instead), work trips, solo trips........you name it.
Every visit to London is different.
This time, with only me and Marta, both of us missing Ingrid terrible, but with all the back and forth with her travel to the Philippines it was not possible for her to come (by the way, we are still fighting with her insurance company to get her money back, long story), it has so far turned out to be a trip of sore feet and hot credit cards. Marta has finished her Christmas shopping, and at Primark I had to buy her a new suitcase to carry all the lovely clothers she bought to herself. In it she will also have room for the one and single book I have bought.
When I travel alone I have bookstores, museums, churches and park walks on my list. This time I havebeen to only one bookstore, Waterstones in Notting Hill, which was a lovely place, and a place with deep chairs and wifi for daughters following their book loving mothers. I have been to only one cbhurch, St.Martin in the Fields, where an orchestra was parcticing for a concert, where they have free, clean toilets and a huge, amazing giftstore in the basement. And so far no museums, no parks, though I have big plans for today.
We did go to Lion King last night though, crying together when Mufasa died, enjoying the young man sitting beside Marta, who knew all the songs by heart and sang along. Absolutely fantastic.
Yes, every trip is different.
There are a lot of things I miss this time.
But at the same time, being with Marta, taking part in her pleasure when shopping, showing her some of the gems outside Oxford Street, sharing a bowl of olives at our favorite Italian restaurant.
It is all pure bliss.
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It is advent. This year I plan to do most of my Advent posting over in Caffe Avec. There I will show parts of my nativity collection, and also post about the countries where they are from/where they are bought.
