BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - ROYAL PAVILION - BRIGHTON PIER - 27/12/11

The outside of the Royal Pavilion - it's so big that you can't get the whole building in in one shot. This started as a (large) farmhouse. George IV came when he was Prince Regent (his dad was still living, but was crazy and ill, so George IV was kind of king - at least in waiting) He loved it so much that he made it a pleasure palace for himself. The outside is something like the Taj Mahal - the inside is mostly Chinese. I think it is very tacky and not very royal. But everyone else loved it - so maybe it's just me.Brighton Pier

Royal Pavilion, Brighton, England. December 27, 2011. Notice Dad's new hat - it's called a flat cap. I love it and I think he looks great in it. Everyone wears them here. He got it for Christmas.

St. Peter's Church in Brighton

Huge hotel - right by the waterfront. See the English Chanel in the background. The only reason that I put this picture on is for the next picture.

Just a fun little thing. William was the brother of George IV who built the Royal Pavilion.

This is part of the Royal Pavilion. Of course, we couldn't take pictures inside as usual. But, I got the book. The insides were ugly (sorry - I was totally not impressed - but everyone else was, so I stand alone). It's all done in Chinese - reds and yellows with snakes and dragons crawling all over everything.

DECEMBER ACTIVITIES

This was our Christmas Eve dinner. It was beautifully done and we all had a lot of fun. This is a picture of the Sandersons, Ira and Barbara from Gunnison, Utah. When we travel in groups of 4 couples, the Sandersons are always part of the group. They went with us on the Church History tour and always go on the Monday van trips. We all get along so well and have become life long friends. We're already planning to serve in the Nauvoo Temple together when we get back - if we can. If we don't get to do that, then we're planning a trip to Nauvoo with the Sandersons.

Oh, you know who this is.

A table setting w/o plates, etc. The things on the table are called Christmas crackers. They are an absolute must on British tables - you wouldn't believe how cheesy. Two of you pull on them to pop them - they make a noise and a really cheap crown (plastic - like a garbage bag cut jiggity like a crown) and a little toy (like a little plastic frog or a little barrette) is inside and a really corny joke - something like a Chinese fortune cooky. When we were all making up the menu, we thought they meant real crackers. I love the differences in our culture and language.

The proselyting missionaries made these for the foyer downstairs. We really like them and wanted to show our kids, so they could make them. They're just chunks of wood with the bark stripped off.

Christmas lights on Regent Street and Oxford Street in downtown London. The difference between our lights and England's is that they string them across the street - from building to building. It's reall very beautiful.
These London pictures were taken on our 47th wedding anniversary on December 19, 2011. It doesn't show, but it was pouring rain and windy and really cold. We went to see the lights, go to Harrods, the science museum and Winter Wonderland (it was dumb - just a carnival). We had dinner at a very exclusive, small restaurant in downtown London - some day I'll tell you the name of the restaurant.

There were gazillions of these stars - they're huge and they start in the middle and the lights go out by strands until there's only one line of lights outlining a star - then they fill back in again.

See, here's a full star. The Jingle all the Way is a wall of lights - they had a lot of those things up too. Anyway, it's very interesting and pretty.

Obviously, it was still daylight here, but this is outside Harrods and their lights were really beautiful - it doesn't show up here as well.

We wanted to see the Hyde Park Chapel while we were here, but didn't know how to find it. We just walked out the side door of the Science Museum in downtown London and there it was. It's closed for renovations - that's why the windows are boarded up. But it was really fun to see it. We've heard a lot about it. If you look carefully you can read The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints on the side. Fun.

Here is Harrods. We did go in and bought some fudge so we could get a bag. We looked at shoes that were 5,000 pounds - but the style just wasn't right for me :) These guys are called the West Indian Steel Band and were really outstanding.

I don't know which activity this was - we had three or four downstairs in our building - the Accommodation Center - and I was trying to get a good shot of the temple, so you could see how close we live to it. The picture isn't too hot, but I sure love the view.

This was our wonderful snow fall that I raved about. What you see is all we got. But it was so much fun to see.

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AT LEEDS CASTLE

Some of the decorations at Leeds Castle were really beautiful - most weren't. But the mantles were really beautifully done. So these pictures are for my kids with or without mantles - some ideas for years to come. Melanie, you asked what some decorations looked like. If you like, double click and see them big. I love the way they hang the bulbs off and let them dangle and that the greenery is kind of on the edge of the mantle instead of taking all the space on top so you can't have anything on the mantle. Anyway, take a look.

LEEDS CASTLE - 12 DECEMBER 2011

This is beautiful Leeds Castle. The prettiest castle so far. It's situated on two islands - the biggest part on a big one and the other, with no land around it on the other and are connected by the hallways over the water. It's really quite something. But, I was very disappointed because they had everything covered with Christmas decorations and we couldn't even see anything. I wish they would stay with minimal stuff - but they want to please the kids that come and so they do theme rooms. Like the Mad Hatter's tea room - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Swan Lake - you get my drift. We will go back in the spring and see it again.

The dining room. Quite impressive.

These people are quite impressive too. In the library.

Susan, every time I see a tapistry I think of you.

Chapel

This is one of the hallways across the water connecting the two parts of the castle.

Ancient stuff.

These stairs go up from the wine cellar.

The oldest part of the castle - dating from Norman times. Wine cellar.

AMAZING, SPACIOUS NEW ROOM!!!

OK, so, we had the chance to move to a little bit bigger room - right down the hall - on the corner, so we get a window over the sink. Our window in front is bigger too. The floor space is about twice as big as the other one - Bill measured. After not having it - floor space is absolutely wonderful. We can actually walk around and not bump into each other. We will still move over to the Lodge in a few months - when there's an opening there. There are rooms at the Lodge - bedroom, living room, kitchen and tons more storage space. And a washer and dryer in each room. The Accommodation Center (where we are now) is meant for patrons who come for overnight to visit the Temple - not for living. But that's where they put most of the missionaries because there just isn't enough room in the Manor House (we hope we don't have to move there - it's not nearly as nice as the Lodge - even though it's beautiful and romantic) or in the Lodge for the workers and missionaries. Our room is now 51. We love it except we're not right across from the Bartschi's anymore. We used to open our doors and chat while we were fixing dinner. But, I told DeAne that we can still open our doors and yell down the hall to each other. :)

We were in the MTC with the Bartschi's and flew over on the same plane. The reason we got the bigger place and will move to the Lodge before them is simply that the Temple got our mission papers first. So we're before them in line - they are really careful about that because they don't want any hurt feelings.

View from the door

Sitting in my comfortable chair looking toward the door - notice "FLOOR SPACE"

Notice footstools with the chairs

Our little, teeny, tiny kitchen - but we have a window looking out on the street. We love it.

A FEW ADDED NOTES

This may not be any better than what was under the picture of the socks and shoes. Try it and see - maybe double click.

Also, I got the day wrong. Today is 5 December 2011. If there's anything else, I can't remember it. For you young chicks - that's a Senior Moment!

QUEEN VICTORIA & PRINCE ALBERT MUSEUM - 6 DEC 2011

We didn't have anything else to do today - we're going to Leed's Castle next Monday - so we decided to go into London and see the V and A Museum. We hadn't been there before and we wanted to see the Christmas lights in London. This is - DeAne and Grant Bartschi and us. Well, we got so tired walking around this huge museum that we didn't stay in London as long as we planned - only until about 3:00 - so the lights weren't even on. We were going to go to Herrod's and buy something really tiny (all we can afford at Herrod's) just so we could get a bag - but we were too tired to do that too. We did pass by it on the bus on the way to the train station. Oh well, I think we'll be going back in again. We had a wonderful day. That's an amazing museum. I especially want you to notice Tiberius' head - it's dated 4 - 37! WOW! There was so much there that I just put in a bunch of pictures - I took 200. So enjoy a tiny portion of what we saw.

I want you to notice the DATE on this sculpture!!!