Dashers do London (guest post)

After reading some of this blog’s guest posts, I decided that it was crucial to be

only semi - not entirely sober to accurately describe our

inaugural crossing of the pond.

Yes, this was our first trip to Europe!

We knew we wanted a European honeymoon which meant a pit stop

at the McGee's, regardless of what countries we ultimately decided upon (Italy).

I told Sarah this was our plan and immediately

I received no fewer than three emails outlining potential trip itineraries.

Some were so eloquently detailed I wondered if she had been

working on them long prior to our first discussion of the London launching point!

side note: getting ready for a trip longer than one week immediately

made me question whether to extract my old 

traveling trunk from sleep away camp.

Not sure why...why my mom made me take that beast to camp

and why I felt it was a potential option for packing?

We decided on a 3-day visit with Sarah and Ian and 

then a little over a week in Italy.

We were prepared to maximize time with our gracious hosts

by flying overnight so that we could have a full day on Saturday.

Delusions of grandeur - also known as a rookie mistake. 

Neither of us slept on the plane, and were running solely on adrenaline

as we exited the tube from the airport.

We had very good directions from Sarah and 

came extremely close to acing the journey.

The last bit, we began walking in circles until we heard “CHELS!”

Brett saw Sarah’s little face popping out of her window 

and we were there! 

We exchanged huge hugs and 

could not have been happier to be in their London flat!

It had all of the warmth of their Jax Beach home, 

with the added charm of British city life. 

Their sleepy street is perfect distance from fun cafes, pubs, and shops!

It was definitely cool to see how well their new life suited them!

We needed a serious nap before a big night out at one of Ian’s accounts,

Duck and Waffle (more on this later),

but not before I made us go to my favorite cookbook author’s restaurant, 

Ottolenghi’s!

We had the most beautiful display of fish, salads, and wine—

all  tasting far better than I could ever hope to make.

Unfortunately, Brett was barely able to see, speak, or hear in his state

and we ran back for some rest.

What ensued post slumber was a fabulous night and weekend! 

We had the premier table at Duck and Waffle, overlooking all of London!

It was incredible to pan the area with no one and nothing to block us!

Very chic! 

Following this was street roadies in paper bags and

an after party with me as DJ on my boombox (iphone).

 It’s a a far fall from the top. Kidding! It was awesome!

The next couple of days Brett and I got to explore the McGee’s fabulous new town.

The street art, world cuisine (yes, they have good food in London),

and sights were everything we could have hoped for.

Our friends and gracious hosts were more.

We can’t wait for another visit across the pond and

will harass these lovely folks until they make a visit back to the mother land.

Much love!

The Dashers.