Cousins come to London!

We have been so blessed with tons of amazing family and friends visiting us here in the UK. It always gives us something to look forward to, and a little taste of home as well. My cousin Jenna and her husband Paul are big travelers and stopped in London as part of their European trip. We went in to spend the day with them and had a blast! They were staying with a friend in London, and it was awesome getting a true Londoner's take on the city, as well as seeing things that we had never seen before - and spending time with Jenna and Paul of course. :)

Francesca first took us to her local pub for Sunday carvery, where she introduced us to the Scotch Egg. I don't like eggs, but Thomas said it was delicious, despite it's somewhat odd appearance. It is egg, wrapped in sausage, and fried. Next we took a walk along the Thames, and happened to stop in a little church where it turns out Benedict Arnold is buried! We couldn't believe that he was buried there, and Thomas is a big history lover, so he was especially excited. We walked through the Chelsea neighborhood of London, which we had never wandered in before, browsed the Victoria & Albert Museum, and explored Hyde Park. Francesca had all sorts of random tidbits about London to share with us, and we really loved seeing London from a different perspective!

Walking along the Thames

Church where Benedict Arnold is buried

Getting in the Wimbledon spirit!

Traffic cone art outside the Victoria and Albert Museum

Francesca, Jenna, Me, and Thomas

Hyde Park

Shepreth Wildlife Park

While Drew was visiting we went to a Wildlife Park nearby. We didn't know what to expect, but I think it was better than either of us hoped for! There were a lot of animals, and it was a smaller park so it wasn't very busy and the animals were close to us. Drew even got to see his FIRST tiger!! My favorite animals were the otters, they were so cute and talkative. And I loved the fat pigs, I would like one for a pet. :)

Drew in the monkey/reptile house

These little monkeys had free reign in the monkey/reptile house - we even saw them land on people!

He looks so sad :(

Drew and the ostriches - their names were Homer and Marge :)

Otters - my favorites!

Sunbathing meerkat

SO CUTE!

I want one please :)

Drew and the pony

Happy birthday Brother!

In between all the sightseeing we did while Drew was here, we also wanted to get some nice pictures of him. We had so much fun scouting out cool/pretty locations and thinking of different poses he could do while we explored some of the little towns nearby.

Bury St Edmunds Cathedral

Bury St Edmunds gardens

Drew on the cannon in front of Ely Cathedral

Ely Cathedral

Today happens to be my brother's 17th birthday!

Happy birthday Drew, love you!

Leeds Castle

While Drew was visiting we took a day trip to Leeds Castle, which was about 2.5 hours southeast of our town. The castle was beautiful, and the grounds were even more impressive. It was so lush and green, and meticulously landscaped. We had packed a picnic lunch, but it was too cold so we ended up eating it in the car. :) 

The inside of the castle was decorated according to the times it was lived in, but it was interesting because a woman lived in it up until the 1960s, so certain wings of the castle had slightly more modern decorations that the rest of the castle. It was interesting to see the old and the new in the same OLD castle!

Drew at Leeds Castle

My favorite room - the library

Black Swans

There was a nice aviary in the gardens for us to explore