Italy

Laura came to visit! But first she stopped in Italy, where she served her mission, so I went down to hang out for the weekend before we came back to London.

It was my first time to Italy and was so pleased with our first encounter. Saturday we visited all of the towns in Cinque Terre. I had high expectations and these little towns did not disappoint. 

 

 

 

The next day we went to church with Laura's friends and then set off to see the Tower of Pisa and explore the town a bit.

Later that afternoon we drove over to Lucca for a bit more exploring before we caught a late flight back to a not-so-sunny London. Needless to say the entire weekend was just lovely...a bit of a whirlwind but still lovely.

Salzburg

We had a bank holiday the first weekend in May so I hopped on a plane to Salzburg to visit my friend, Jenny, and her husband, Berni. I just love these two.

It was a delightful weekend full of late-night chats, a young women activity, sightseeing (castle, smallest house in Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace and the cute streets lined with shops), and even snuck in a lovely Sunday nap.

Not to mention the food...but I always mention the food. I had some yummy goulash, a sausage sandwich (pic below) with this awesome mustard (which I don't normally like but kind of loved this time) and, of course, chocolate.

I flew home early Monday and still had the day wide open. So I put on some walking shoes and set out to explore. I discovered Sloane Street and Sloane Square and we became fast friends. And then the lovely three-day weekend came to an end :(

April in London

I am so frightfully behind and feel totally overwhelmed with all the things I want to share. I'll catch you up to the end of April and will have you post more later, I'm afraid.

A few weekends ago (April 20) I decided to hop on a train to Windsor Castle. Apparently the Queen had the same idea because she was there that weekend. We chatted a bit over some tea and scones...at least that what I envisioned as I walked around the lovely grounds and through the incredible halls.

I've seen a lot of castles in my day but I have to admit Windsor Castle still charmed me.

After Windsor Castle I met up with Lauren and we walked through the dreamy neighborhoods around Notting Hill and then wandered down the not-so-dreamy Portobello Road.

Earlier that week I discovered a delightful pub (George's Tavern) not far from my flat and finally had some fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding...so good!

That week I also took myself to Singin' in the Rain. I sat on the second row and could not have been more giddy. I just love the music, I love the story and I loved getting splashed while the actors danced on stage in the rain. This pic is certainly not my most photogenic moment and doesn't really capture how excited I really was...but it's proof I was there :)

The next weekend I met up with a friend from MBA school and her husband (Michelle and DJ). Michelle is also doing an 8-month rotation in London for her company. We met at Brick Lane for some Indian food. The food was yummy but it was especially fun to catch up with friends.

The next day (April 27) I went to the London temple. I mapped out the journey before I left and saw that the temple was 'only' 2-3 miles from the train station so I thought I might just enjoy a good walk rather than take a taxi or wait for the bus. It turned out to be quite a walk, much of it without sidewalks so I must be the rare person that walks that stretch of road. But I made it! Luckily it was a bright sunny day...also pretty rare.

That afternoon I decided to go check out Columbia Road Market. It's known for its flowers but unfortunately it was still too early in the year for them to set all of their flowers out on the street. However, I still had fun wandering through the cute colorful shops that line the street.

The ward had a talent show that night. I normally dread talent shows...I just get so nervous and/or embarrassed for the people performing. But I was pleasantly surprised by this one...(most) everyone did really well.

We had a special treat at the end when Dominic Miller (who is not a Mormon but his son is) performed. He played a solo version of 'Fields of Gold' that made me cry it was so lovely. He played a second song with his son, Harley. They played 'Teach Me to Walk in the Light.' It really was incredible to hear him play and really wonderful to see him play with his son.