Olympic Torch

Thomas and I stopped at a nearby town called Newmarket to eat lunch at Burger King (we like our American fast food every once in a while hehe), and were shocked to find a real Olympic Torch there. I was convinced it was a fake, but it really was authentic - they were touring the area raising money for local charities by allowing people to take pictures with the torch for £1.50. It was too good to pass up! We were so lucky to get to experience London during all of the Olympics-mania, and this was just icing on the cake! 

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

Go Ape!

I did some ziplining in Lake Tahoe last year (Zip Tahoe if anyone is interested!) and after I got over my initial fears I really loved it! Thomas and I wanted to do some ziplining in England, and luck for us there was a place called Go Ape located in the nearby Thetford Forest that does "treetop adventures". It was more than just ziplining - it was almost an obstacle course, but located amongst the trees instead of on the ground. It was nice because once you did the safety briefing and did the first course as a group with the instructor, you are on your own for the remaining courses. Since Thomas and I were the smallest group, we got to go first and go at our own pace, which was really nice. Thomas was a champ, whereas I was a little more cautious - I wimped out on the really high Tarzan swing and had to take the scaredy-cat way down, but other than that I rocked it too! We would definitely recommend Go Ape! to our local friends - they even offer a military discount. :)