Cheerio!

Hello there chaps! I'm writing this blog directly from London Town! You must try and read this blog with a British Accent to really get the gist of it all. I promise you won't have bad teeth when you're done.

Yes, we are in London.....me, the Pig, and the hubby. We have been here for five days so far, and so far so good. The little chap has been a most excellent trooper if I do say so myself. He has had a jolly old time in Stratford-upon-avon and Oxford, and is sacked out in his stroller at this very moment. We had a big day just the two of us. The hubby is at his conference today, so today was mommy and Pig's day to tour the city as a jolly little pair. We went to the Tower of London and the London Bridge. My mom will be so proud to know that I did indeed see the Crown Jewels this time. We went to London together in 1992 for a cheerleading trip, and I decided that I would rather shop than see some stupid dumb crowns. I can't say if I regreted my decision since I found two fabulous dresses at some random store that I wore to two formal events in High School. One dress was a black velvet strapless that had black ostrich feathers across the top, and the other was a cute little plaid number with a big BOW across the top. Both good disguises for my little mosquito bites.

So, the Crown Jewels were really nice. They have you on a people mover that doesn't allow for lingering around the precious crowns and staffs. It's a good thing because hordes of Japanese tourist would be there all day long, and those of us pushing big orange strollers around would never get a chance to even have a glimpse. No offense to the Asian tourist with the camera around the neck, but come on....move over!

I will say that we missed out on quite a bit of stuff since we had the stroller with us. We weren't able to do the Bloody Tower walk, or see any of the other gruesomely named towers since they all involved skinny little stairs. I could have left the "buggy" at the bottom, but it was holding my Burberry Trench, Burberry Umbrella, and my snacks! How bad would it suck to get out of the walk and find no trench, no umbrella, and even worse.....no buggy! I did carry the Pig tbrough one exhibit thinking we were going to see The Crown Jewels. I had to park the stroller down with a bunch of others, and walk up one million small steps with the 25pd boy, my big Chanel Diaper bag, and my Chanel handbag. I had each bag across my body on either side, and the boy on my front with his head on my shoulder.....he was sleeping. Once I realized I was in the Armor and sword exhibit, I asked one of the workers for the fast track exit. Who cares about armor.....once you've seen one you've seen them all.....yeah yeah yeah, they were all small men on big horses...who cares! Show me the 150 carat diamond!

The buggy was still there with all of the loot thank God! We really have had a wonderful time so far. It all started from the minute they handed me a glass of complimentary champagne on the flight! We got to fly in Virgin Atlantic's premium economy, so it was about equivalent to Business Class. The Pig had his own little baby cot that clipped into the wall. It was awesome! He slept most of the way, and didn't manage to throw himself out of the cot! It was Brilliant!

Once we landed, we took the train to Stratford-upon-avon and checked into The Shakespeare Hotel. Upon checking in we realized that it was Shakespeare's 445th birthday!! Score! We got to see the switching on of the Swan Fountain done by some lucky local children surrounded by giant medal wearing dignitaries. We also got to see the unveiling of the new pedestrian bridge linking the gardens to the River Avon. So fun, so relaxing, so English. Stratford is such a little town. We also stumbled upon a funny little parade for the medal wearing walking corpses of Stratford. The parade only consisted of one band dressed in all red with very large English hats. No jugglers, no cheerleaders, just a band. :)

After two days in Stratford-upon-Avon and one William Shakespeare doll later, we headed to the train station to catch a train to Oxford. Oxford is much bigger and a lot more crowded than little bitty Stratford. We stayed at a Fantastic hotel called the Old Bank Hotel. Fabulous room, great restaurants, and good vibe. We got some French pastries for breakfast and headed to the Botanical Gardens to have a morning breakfast picnic....so beautiful and tranquil. After that we went punting on the river. A punt is a long wooden boat that look like a cross between a gondola and a canoe. The punter stand on the back of the boat and steers it with a long pole that you use to push off of the river bottom with. The hubby drove, and I sat in the boat with the Pig and prayed that he would fall asleep. Almost, but once he realized that we were on the water he wanted to look around and make me crazy! We had a life jacket for him, but of course he hated it, but we made it out alive, and no one fell in. :)

After punting and a little relaxation and some lunch, we went to Christ Church University. This is the same place that they used to film scenes from Harry Potter. The dining hall, and the staircases in particular. Such beautiful gardens and flowers. That night we hired a babysitter that was recommended by the hotel to watch the Pig. Her name was Denise, and she was fabulous! I got all gussied up in my new couture looking dress that I bought at the H&M in Stratford.....so cute! The dress has a tight black camisole looking top that is a Lycra material, and then right below the chest it has layers of taupe colored ruffles in a satin sheen cotton...so fabulous and fashion forward. My husband said that it looked like underwear on the top, and he didn't quite get it, but I loved it!!!!

After I snapped an innocent photo of the Pig and his sitter, "just in case we would need it", the hotel's Mercedes picked us up and whisked us off to a Restaurant called Gee's that was set in an old Greenhouse. It was Jazz night at Gee's, and the food was to die for! I had Coyonne Ham with a beetroot rumalaude to start with followed by a mushroom and lovage rissoto and chocolate breadpudding. Champagne to start with a great French red wine.....scrumptious dinner for two sans baby. Denise loved the Pig and had a great time with him....she had him in his little crib like a baby angel when we got home.

So much fun so far! Still have four days to go! I found some great leads on some vintage shops in the back of a British Vogue. I might find some great vintage Chanel that has fallen victim to the recession. I will let you know! Today we saw sights! Tomorrow we shop till we drop!