London, wow.

I must say when I was planning where I wanted to go in Europe, London seemed not that important. I figured it was a lot like North America, which it seemed to be, but I just didn't get that really excited feeling in my stomach. But as friends headed over to visit, and my parents raved about their visit, I became more and more intrigued by what London had to offer. And in the end, it truly was "The Ultimate London Experience".

I was lucky enough to be invited by the Bodini family to stay in their home in Cobham, Surrey for my stay. A 20 minute train ride from London, the beautiful home was beyond anything I had ever expected. Alex and I took Jake, their hungarian visla dog, for walks in the woods, minutes from their house. A great way to start the day. I had no idea that England was so green. The weather wasn't awful and Cobham is a beautiful little town.

London has so much to offer: great shops, shows, all sorts of restaurants, and really friendly people. Maybe I found people more friendly because we speak the same language, but overall, people were just on a whole, more friendly and helpful. Alex showed me all over London. The beautiful riverside "Queen's Walk", the London Eye, little wharf squares, Big Ben and parliament buildings, Tate Modern, The Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Camden Market, Oxford Circus Shopping area, Trafalgar Square. The list goes on and on. The first night, we went to an underground jazz bar, rented out for one of Alex's friend's birthdays. Great music and good people. All around, an awesome night. The next, we saw Avenue Q, the racy puppet show, with hilarious songs and great comedy. One morning we walked along the river Thames and watched his friend Max prep for his university's rowing race. Then went on to visit my second cousin I think she is, anyways, Alanna, my Uncle Alan's daughter. It was great to meet her kids, Sophia and Hugo and find out more about her life and get updated on the family. Another night we went to the dog races, soo much fun. Definitely a highlight of the trip for me, even if Im not very good at guessing who's going to win, it was fun to cheer them on!

We also hung out at the local Cobham Pub "The Running Mare" or more lovingly referred to as simply "The runner, where the Bodinis, their family dog, and family friends, have an afternoon Sunday pint, before Jackie made a beautiful Sunday Roast Dinner. Yorkshire pudding, mmm my favorite.

On Sunday morning, I received the sad news that Eva, one of my good friend's from Vancouver, had passed away after a life long battle with cystic fibrosis. For those of you who did not know Eva, please check out her live journal and website, and consider registering to be an organ donor today. You can view her documentary on CBC's the passionate eye. Eva was a passionate, driven, beautiful red haired young lady, but also, a great find who taught me about living life with dreams and love. http://65redroses.livejournal.com/

Despite the sad news, Sunday turned out to be a relaxing and wonderful day. Monday, I visited in London with a friend, Stuart, who is from England, but who knew Eva as well. It was great to see him and talk about her life and love.

Tuesday morning I was supposed to be leaving back to Toulouse, but my flight was cancelled and I couldn't fly out until Friday. The Bodinis graciously allowed me to stay in their home for another 3 nights, even though they were heading to Dubai for a family holiday. On Thursday, I spent the day in London by myself, bought a discount ticket for Billy Elliot, wandered around Covent Garden, on a beautiful sunny day with my Starbucks in my hand and a huge smile on my face! Another highlight. Then had sushi in some little park, and after a bit of shop browsing, I headed to the show.

Billy Elliot is phenomenal. The talent of that little boy is mind boggling. Honestly if you are in London, make sure you see it. I sat there by myself, giggling, tearing up, wiping tears and smiling the whole time. Best 25 pounds I ever spent.

Thursday night I had drinks with Julie, my cousin Jamie's friend from home. Such a joy to see her. We drank too much wine and had a great time catching up. Nice to talk about life and family and mutual friends.

I met her again in the morning in Putney before catching my train to the airport. What a beautiful little area of London. It reminded me of Kits on a beautiful sunny day, with loads of character.

So on a whole, a longer than expected trip to London, but absolutely amazing. It made me miss home though. I am definitely due for a good long visit soon.

Missing you all,

Loads of love,

Katy x