The Fashion Crime!

Lots of French food...

We stopped at regular intervals to fill up on pain au chocolat and fresh peaches washed down with coffee, hot chocolate, Orangina, Bella Lula etc ...

we also found an enormous lollipop...

a Norwegian salad (?)

steak and tagliatelle (? I had mine with pommes frites!)

...sorbet

... and crepes of course!

Paris!

Last week we took a last minute trip to Paris for 2 days. I haven't been for 30 years and the girls, although they have traveled a lot, have only been to and from England, plus the odd day trip to Norway. I thought it was time to widen their horizons. The flights were cheap leaving late in the evening and early in the morning. I thought we'd find some comfy seats at the airport in France and just rest rather than booking hotels. Unfortunately this cunning plan to save a few Euros failed miserably. The airport closed at midnight and armed soldiers, fingers on their triggers marched through.

Fortunately some very kind people took pity on us and found us a cheap hotel for the night in spite of the late hour. The hotel was so good, and cheap :) we booked the same one for the trip home.

The first day in Paris, it rained so hard all day long, I didn't dare take my camera from its plastic bag. The second day looked like rain again, but we managed to stay dry and complete are goals for the trip:

• Eat lots of French food (me)
• Jump from the Eiffel Tower (Miss T)
• Commit a crime of fashion (Strawberry)

The last of Stockholm

Just a few last pictures of Stockholm from our return trip to London at Easter.

Dancing and singing in the Spring at Skansen in Stockholm Saturday April 30th.

And finally the night train home...

Arriving home Sunday 1st May 2011 6.50am...
More tomorrow. Having done London and Stockholm, how about Paris?

To and from Skansen

Still Saturday 30th April!

Saturday April 30th

Back in Stockholm we celebrated Carl XVI Gustaf's birthday with some delicious Italian food in a restaurant next to the King's Garden,

not far from the palace

with the daffodils in flower.

The sun was shining, but the wind was cold.

So cold that we didn't stay for the lighting of the traditional bonfire at Skansen, but when the choir had finished "singing in the Spring", we made our way back to the station for the night train home.

The Day of the Wedding, Friday April 29th

All dressed up for his Majesty's not so secret service?

Miss T towers over her little sister, but then she is in her mum's little sister's stilettos.

Strawberry and Miss T posing with Camilla for a portrait, she and Charles followed behind in the car on to the ...

... garden party, causing quite a stir and several hoots as they both waved regally through the back windows.

Party games, putting the ring on the right finger

and lots of royal grub, including a chocolate fountain

proved to be a complete knockout.

Thank you little sister and everyone else there, we had a blast.

Strawberry's choice

Miss T chose the Tower and for our second day in London Strawberry chose the British Museum

and the mummies, which I didn't take phorographs of, but Strawberry did, so they might appear on her blog one day. My favourite was Cleopatra's daddy's mummy.

After the museum we walked through London. It was the day before the royal wedding, so there was a party atmosphere on the streets, silly hats and flags everywhere.

The Tower of London

As we only had three days in London, thank you little sis for putting us up yet again, the girls got to choose one thing each they'd like to do. Miss T. chose the Tower and all its treasures which the kind grandparents treated us to, along with a personal guided tour from one of the country's top experts on arms and armour. While the guide refuelled on tea, the girls and I took a butchers at the crown jewels. As there were very few people there, we went round twice, before a guard took pity on us and let the girls try on the last item on show, the crown of India. It suited them both perfectly, but we were travelling with handluggage only and it looked rather heavy.

Another kind guard allowed us and our guides to escape from the White Tower by way of a secret passage, a lift and a heavily studded door.

Our visit to the Tower was a great pleasure that the girls and I will remember for a long time to come, thank you Granny and Pa!