europe day one & two

7 months ago, we went to Europe (London & Paris) and I don't want to go on without documenting it!  We had the most wonderful time.  There is something magical about being in a foreign country with your spouse.  It was my first time being in Europe (Ben's second) and it shall not be the last!
We are already planning a trip to go to Italy next year and I get giddy when I think about it.  I've been watching a lot of House Hunters International this Fall Break, and I have a newfound yearning to visit Spain!  Maybe we can squeeze it all in.

We left the Friday of Spring Break and returned late Saturday night of the next week.  We were happy to be able to get on a direct flight.  Our trip was not long enough-but it did give us a taste of what it is like.  Life's hard when you're a teacher. :)

We arrived in London at approximately 2:00 pm, where GrandMary and Grandpa Nielson were waiting to pick us up.  We went directly to Winchester Cathedral and listened to Evensong there.  There are so many pretty churches and cathedrals!  The architecture is pretty amazing.  Jane Austen is actually buried in Winchester Cathedral and it was neat to see that, as well as one of her houses while there.  The Winchester school was closed for tours while we were there, but we snuck in for a few minutes before we were kicked out.  Parts of Harry Potter and Les Miserables were filmed here.  (As a big fan of HP, I was ecstatic throughout the trip.  HP film location sightings everywhere!)

We had dinner at an English pub that evening.  I loved trying the parsnips but wasn't in love with the yorkshire pudding.

We spent the first few days touring Winchester with our fabulous tour guides, Boss and GrandMary.  We went to church with them the following day and it was neat to see what the wards are like over there and to be able to meet some of the members.  We had some bad jet lag and I found myself dozing off throughout the block.  We came home, took a quick nap, and set off to see more of the town of Winchester.
We saw King Arthur's round table and some castle ruins.  (I looked like a cute sister missionary in my outfit.

 Their teeny and adorable flat.

)

Updated pictures from our good camera (and the rest of our trip) coming soon.  :)