Hello London!

We had such a good time in London! Everything was perfect! We met Luke at the airport, all planes arrived on time, luggage made it, and we headed to the hotel! I don’t want to go into too much detail, as I am afraid it will get too LONG! I’m going to hit the highlights, and if you have questions, please email, facebook, or comment! We had a good overview tour of the city by taking a “hop on-off” bus tour, and a river cruise. It really gave good insight as to where everything was located, and then we WALKED, and WALKED, and WALKED! We visited The Tower of London...it was number “one” on all of the guides I read. It was built to be a fortress, and had been used for many things, including a prison. The “Beefeaters” were guides, and told fascinating stories of the history of The Tower. Many prisoners were beheaded, and their heads put on spears and “posted” at the London Bridge! Ugh! Anyway, they reveled in telling those types of stories! We also saw the Changing of the Guard and toured Buckingham Palace. It was absolutely beautiful! We loved seeing the sights...Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and so many more. Winston Churchill’s underground war room bunker headquarters was interesting as well. The soldiers there “tidied” up their desks the evening the war was over, as though they would be coming back the next day. It was then sealed, and not bothered until nine years ago. Everything was very much the way it was left that day. We also visited the National Art Gallery, seeing amazing art by Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt, and many more. We LOVED Lion King, and “shopped” at Harrods and Selfridges. We bought tea at Twinings, the original shop that provides tea for the Queen! The architecture all over the city was amazing; so ornate and beautiful. There were so many pretty parks. One park was called Green Park, and had no flowers! Over two hundred years ago, the queen at the time (I don’t remember who) would get upset because visitors would walk through the park and pick the flowers to bring to her. She did not want them picking the flowers, so she ordered that the park have no flowers! St James Park, however, was loaded with flowers. All of the parks had chairs, and great crowds of people just relaxing! We found many friendly people in London. They were so anxious to tell the history of the city, and neat anecdotes! “Michael” stood with us at the Changing of the Guard. He has lived in London for many years, and was FILLED with interesting stories! We loved eating at the London Pubs...I think that actually turned out to be my favorite part of the trip! That…and seeing Luke! It was so fun to enjoy this trip with him and Larry! The weather was cool, rained just a bit...a magical trip! God led us One Step at a Time!

"Our" hotel!

A guard at The Tower of London

Inside The Tower walls

The Tower Bridge

Buckingham Palace

a Bobby!

Changing of the Guard

Big Ben

Westminister Abbey (one side)

My Favorite Pub...The Red Lion!

The London Eye

Parliament and Big Ben

Guess What!

The Tower of London

The Thames River

One of the many beautiful fountains of the city...and Luke!

One of the many TALL statues

Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre

Twinings Tea Shop

"Hello..."

We called this the "Gummies" statue!

Does this remind you of The Godfather?

The Burj Khalifa, the TALLEST Building in the World!

This weekend, we toured the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, 160 stories! Wow! It was amazing! Security is very high, and you must present your passport, or identification, go through a metal detector, and have all bags inspected as well. We were surprised then, that we could go at our own pace and stop or walk as fast as we wanted.

We rode an elevator from the first floor to the observation point on the 124th floor. The elevator is also the fastest in the world, going forty mph. It was a smooth ride, but my ears popped as we went up so fast! The observation point is considered outside, even though it is glassed in except for the top. You can walk completely around the building, and see the view from all sides. The pictures we took were mostly from the top. You can see the fountain that we saw previously because the Burj Khalifa is next to the Dubai Mall and fountain area. They were all built as part of a $20 billion dollar development, including the mall and fountains. The building itself cost $1.5 billion to build, and took five years. WOW! The “fact” that stuck in my head was this: the concrete alone that was used in the building weighed as much as 100,000 elephants! I quit listening after that, as I was trying to wrap my thoughts around that one fact! It was an amazing building with an amazing view! A very fun place to visit!

This week we are traveling to London! Luke is meeting us there, which that, in itself, is very exciting! I can’t wait to see him...wishing Emily, Ben, and Dave could come as well! Then, Larry and I will go on to Paris! It is our "holiday," as they say here in Dubai! We are going to "beat the heat" hopefully! As through all years, God continues to give us many opportunities and blessings, as He leads us One Step at a Time!

"Sign" The Burj Khalifa

From the "ground"

Elevator going UP to the 124th Floor!

Fountain below

Picture taken looking up the rest of the way from the 124th floor to the top!

This one is my favorite!

Back at the bottom!

The Atlantis and a Happy Anniversary!

Last weekend, we went to see the Atlantis Hotel! It is located on The Palm, the well-known man-made peninsula. It had a very different look from where we live. Larry looked at a villa for us on The Palm. Here, a villa is just another name for a house with a yard! However, the one he looked at, shared one yard between four houses. Often, villas also share walls, similar to duplexes. At first, we thought this might be a better setup for Sammie, but then realized it would not, if we shared the yard. Other areas of the city also have villas with separate walls and individual yards. However, you really need a car or you are pretty much “stuck” in your neighborhood in these areas. The Metro does not go out to The Palm at all, so if we lived there, we would always be using a taxi. It is a beautiful area, very well groomed, with more flowers. The hotel was gorgeous! It has several restaurants and bars, a massive lobby, an amazing aquarium, and a waterpark attached at the back. It does have a beach, but we decided it must be a man-made one because “their” part of the bay would be very deep. It was fun to wander around. When I win the lottery, we will invite you all over, and we will stay there! Ha! In the meantime, you are all invited anytime to our humble abode! :)

This past weekend was our anniversary! We have been married 34 years, and have had many wonderful adventures! We went for a long walk...a different path! Then, we came back and went to the beach. The beach was fairly deserted because of Ramadan. Because it is a fasting time during the day, it is not a time to go to the beach and not be able to get a drink when you return home! We then went out to eat at El Chicos...yes Larry chose! We went at 6:30 when they opened, but they did not serve dinner until it was officially time to eat Iftar or time to “break fast” for Ramadan, which was around 7:00. The food was good!

I am so thankful God has blessed us with so many adventures! He knows our path, and He continues to guide us One Step at a Time!

Taken from the taxi as we were leaving.

Centerpiece in middle of the main lobby made out of glass. Beautiful and Huge!

Check-In/Out Desk

Light fixture over a desk as you first entered the hotel! There was a duplicate on the other side as well!

An "oyster" fountain! The "oyster" in the middle spun slowly in the water!

Looking down on the aquarium from upstairs.

I have had some "firsts" since we have been here, and some of them occurred this week!

I have enjoy tremendously a group of ladies who "craft" on Tuesdays! I have brought out my antique cross-stitch, and am sure I will finish it in due time! Some ladies are working on crocheting, knitting, quilting, and even beading. The neat thing about the group is how they have taken me in, and been so welcoming. They are from New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Hawaii...very sweet ladies! Even though they speak English, I must listen very closely to understand what they are saying! Last week, we rode the Metro and then a Taxi for an hour-and-a-half just to get to "craft," because we meet in members' homes, and we live all over. Then, we turned around after and did the same ride again! At home, I would NEVER have done that...but life is different here!

This Tuesday, "craft" was just down the road, I walked, and made it in thirty minutes! However, I twisted by ankle outside of my destination! They were so sweet to help me, wrap my ankle, give me an ice pack, and bring me home! One of my best adventures!

Another first happened Monday! I rode the Metro by myself! I walked over (about a twenty-minute walk), and scanned my card, and got on the RIGHT train! There is a gold card section, which is a bit nicer...the chairs face forward, and they are larger. I did not pay for THAT card, and there is a women and children section where I can sit, or sit in the general section. I managed to listen for my stop which is announced in Arabic and English. I rode over to the Mall of the Emirates. It is the mall that has skiing! I stood for a good while and just watched those enjoying the snow....with it 106 degrees outside! I have included pictures of the ski slope! On the way back, I stood as there were no seats. Three men attempted to give me their seats, and then I sat when a seat was available. I did it...I am so proud of me! Ha!

It does seem to be getting hotter and hotter, and Ramadan begins next week. From what we can understand, at that time for the month of August, Muslims fast all day...from sun up to sun down. During that time, restaurants and cafes are closed during the day, and it is not acceptable to eat or drink in public. It will be interesting to see how it all works out. I have become accustomed to walking most places, but having an iced coffee when I get there! Experiencing Ramadan this year will be a FIRST for us...God continues to guide One Step at a Time!



Look closely for the Metro!




Entrance to Metro Station




From where we live, I can catch the Metro to most anywhere I want to go. I did not think they would be comfortable with me taking pictures inside of the station.




Ski slope in the Mall of the Emirates! You rent winter clothes along with skiis or sleds!