Away from home for the holidays...

Despite being miles away from all our friends and family, Mike and I managed to have a great Christmas celebration!! True to form, we ate and drank ourselves full, in a fairly cyclical fashion, through the entirety of the four day weekend. After Mike left work early on Christmas Eve day, we enjoyed some celebratory Christmas pints at a couple local Islington pubs. Watching last minute crazed shoppers, scurry in for a quick drink before heading back to the streets, proved to be wonderfully entertaining. The people at the bars slowly dwindled as Christmas Eve day approached its actual eve and Mike and I headed back to our flat for our Swedish Christmas Smorgasbord.

After far too much salmon, cheese, meatballs and more, we headed to the balcony to get some fresh air and aid our digestion. What was supposed to be a quick breath of air, turned into a mini celebration with music and a spectacular view of the city (if you stood on the bench and looked over the roof.) Our drinking and eating adventure that began that afternoon, carried through to the wee hours of the night.

The next morning we set out on a four hour long walk, all over the city, to experience the peacefulness (and emptiness) of London on Christmas. Stopping in Hyde Park, we discovered one of the most traveled parts of downtown London to be practically deserted. After our legs were tired and our bodies were cold, we found ourselves back in Islington drinking cocktails and preparing our Christmas feast.

On Boxing Day we went to Hampstead to check out Heath Park. Located just minutes outside the city, the skyline of downtown London could easily be seen over the grassy hills of Hampstead. The whole day was cold but sunny, and overall, absolutely wonderful! Saturday we went to Windsor Castle, which was elegantly stunning and far bigger than either of us expected. To cap off, what appeared to be an endless weekend, on Sunday night we watched the Pats game. Like true Americans, we had a table spread of Buffalo wings, pizza, and garlic bread, and we sat back with our feet up, feeling not too far from home.

Well, I am heading out shortly to go meet my parents, who arrived in London about an hour ago. I am fairly certain with them here on holiday, our lifestyle of over-indulgence is destined to continue for at least one more week....