...Czech Repulbic family -- so nice to see them all again

We've been spending the last 2 days with Steve's 2nd cousin Marketa and her wonderful family in the samll town of Bistrize about an hour from Prague. Marketa is the daughter of my first cousin Jan - he was one of 2 men I called 'my brother' during my life. Jan died a few years ago, but yesterday I left a candle on his grave at the summer house his family has had for possibly a century. Here are a few pictures of the family. Internet connection is pretty 'sketchy' so we'll continue updates later.

The family in Benesov

Marketa's 2 older girls Frantezca and Agnezka



Day 3 in London

A wonderful 'ad-hoc' sightseeing day in London. Buckingham Palace, a walk through St. James Park, then a tour inside Westminster Abbey, the tube to Tower Bridge (walked across and took pix of the draw bridge opening) and then back to our cute little hotel to repack (ended up buying a better carry-on), bangers and mash at a pub (and Irene's Shepherd's Pie) - I miss not being able to reconcile beer with celiace symptoms, but I did have a good glass of French red wine -- and then now sitting at Heathrow airport waiting for our flight to Prague.

Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament
 

Irene has some good pictures of us in her camera - she will post those soon. Here are some pix of sights....

...London Day 2 --- warm family visit, Abby Road, Thames South Bank

...Day 2 in London. Good family visit with cousin Peter Morley and his wife Jane who is valiantly battling illness but still had us for afternoon tea. Also fun pix at Abby Road "Zebra" crossing famous for Beatles album cover, then Regent's Park Queen Mary Rose Gardens.

 

Abby Road - S & I imitating the famous Beatles' Album cover

 

Nighttime along the Thames - Big Ben striking 7 o'clock

Parliament and Big Ben

 

Ended the day on the South Bank - night pictures of Parliament and Big Ben and Dinner Italiano al fresco along the Thames.

We are in London

It's been a long travel day - from Denver to Houston (but we did have a plate of fresh oysters at 3rd Bar at the airport) and then a 9 1/2 hour flight to London. Baggage arrived safely, and we took

Irene and Steve at the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park

the Tube all the way from Heathrow to Paddington. Now in a small hotel only 2 blocks from Hyde Park. We spent the late afternoon walking along the Serpentine, contemplated the Diana Memorial Fountain, and  stopped for a glass of wine while watching the swans and ducks.

...Thanks for visiting our new Blog

Hello and welcome to our new blog. In a few days we will be posting news about our adventures as we begin a big trip - around the world! If you see something interesting, leave a comment - or if you have suggestions for our travels, please post those here too.

 

 

We've also set up a new email SteveandIrene.us@gmail.com. If you have been using our other emails, they still work, and you can also reach us by SMS text at +1 720.937.2111. We'll look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes from Irene and Steve.