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.
