London

 Tony had to work at the FLUOR office outside of London this week, so naturally I tagged along! Going to London is great, but I had three "bonuses" that made the trip over the top amazing!

 Bonus #1: Seeing part of our "framily" from our days in the Philippines. The Haydens became our family while away from family. We spent many days, nights and weekends laughing the hours away with them. We wouldn't have made it through the Covid years without them!

It really was like no time had passed...except the kiddos had grown so much!

Sammy was the biggest shocker!

For reference, this is Sammy (with Ellis and Sian) in the Philippines!

We dined at a South African restaurant (a nod to the other part of our "framily").

Bonus: #2: A trip to Wimbledon!

It was no small feat getting there. After a late night with our friends, I rose at 4:30AM to get ready and make the journey to Wimbledon. I didn't have a ticket, so had to stand in the "queue" in hopes to just get on the grounds. I wasn't prepared. Everyone had blankets, snacks, drinks, etc. I had myself and a phone that hadn't charged overnight.

But, DANG, was it worth it!

Televsion does not capture the beauty of the entire grounds! I was in awe walking around! This is the club area of Centre Court. Up the stairs is where you can see players enter the court.

Djokovic stretching before the doors opened to Centre Court.

A television crewman gave me a heads up that Djokovic was about to walk up. He was going to film me as I filmed Djokovic. This is what I got. Not my best camera moment. 

The hill where spectators gather to watch matches. If you zoom in, you can see the London skyline.

I wasn't able to watch Swiatek live, but I did get to see this junior Polish player, Wazny, win!

When leaving Wimbledon, I decided to walk a little before catching an Uber. While it was a beautiful walk through loads of parks, it may not have been my best idea. 

An hour and 45 minutes later, I finally made it to Richmond to catch an Uber. I was hot and tired, but gracious it was an amazing day!

Bonus #3: Teskey Brothers Concert

For my birthday, Tony gave me a ticket to see the Teskey Brothers perform at Alexandra Palace (aka: Ally Pally). He was concerned about me going by myself. I could not have been more thrilled!

Well, I was a little concerned when I thought this would be my walk home. 

I have watched too many Datelines. It was a little creepy. I went straight to the information desk to figure out another way to get home. The guy was so friendly, giving my step by step tips. He assured me it would be fine. And it was more than fine! I ended up on the tube with loads of other Teskey fans singing their songs!

Ally Pally

The concert was open seating, so I perused the area trying to pick my favorite spot. I saw them up close at the Ryman, so I decided this view was perfect!

And, boy, was it perfect! I am not familiar with the London skyline, so I looked at the lady next to me and asked if London had a dome. She had no idea. We were tickled when we realized it was the moon rising!

Of course, pictures do not do it justice! 

I will remember this night forever!

I went to bed each night exhausted, but with the biggest smile on my face! I had the most amazing week, all while Tony worked his booty off. (Before you feel too sorry for him, he would have never stood in line for Wimbledon and he actually could have gone to the concert with me. But I love him so much for making this week possible for me!)

Munich, Germany

 Tony had a quick trip to Munich for work last week.  It was his birthday, so I decided to tag along.  No need for him to celebrate alone! With only one day to explore, I decided to get an overview of the Old Town with a small walking tour. Our guide was hilarious, which was great since I was hanging with him for two hours. I haven't fact checked him, so if my notes with my pictures are incorrect, blame Timmy (or my forgetful brain)! Here are a few of the things we saw on our tour:

This courthouse was completed in 1897. I actually found that pretty "young" for European buildings. 

Karlstor on Stachus Square: One of three remaining "gates" in Munich's city walls.

More than 80% of the buildings in Munich's old town were destroyed during the war. During the restoration, they did their best to salvage any parts of the building. Here is a good example of how they blended the "old" with the "new". Munich attempts to keep restoration as true to form as possible. Timmy even saw them using hand cranked drills.

Frauenkirche: Church Of Our Lady

First construction took place from 1468-1488. The towers of the church remained standing after the war, but the rest of the church was destroyed. Nothing is allowed to be taller than this church. Pope Benedict was the priest here. 

The graveyard next to the church was moved as the city expanded. Some of the gravestones were then placed on the side of the church. 

According to Timmy, the sculpture on the side of this building represents a man who was commissioned by the King to create a ring for the Queen. One day the man entered the tower to work on the ring, but it was missing. The King executed the guy. The next day, the ring was discovered in a crow's nest that had fallen from the tree. Don't know if it is true, but I think it is funny...and very unfortunate for the jeweler. 

Neues Rathaus: New Town Hall

Completed in 1905

Hundreds of visitors gather to witness the glockenspiel.

You, too, can join the crowd at 11 and noon (and 5pm March to October).

St. Michael's Church

King Ludwig II is buried in the Royal Crypt here. He wasn't a very popular king and his death remains a mystery. 

After my tour and after Tony's meetings, we met up to celebrate his birthday. 

Here we are at Hofbrauhaus.

Inside Hofbrauhaus are long picnic style tables where you sit with anyone. 

There was live "German style" music. I was really tempted to have them serenade Tony with "happy birthday", but I refrained. 

We finished the day with an amazing dinner at Ratskeller. The restaurant was in a basement. I appreciated how they had backlit windows so that you didn't feel like you were in a dungeon! 

Until Oktoberfest, Munich...

 

Prague, Czech Repbulic

There was another holiday last week, so Tony and I took advantage and traveled to Prague for a few days...along with a few thousand other folks. (I am starting to rethink the whole "traveling over a holiday" idea.) Once again, we walked our booty's off.  I had NO idea that Prague had so many hills! It did make for some beautiful views, though! 

I am embarrassed to say that other than asking a few friends who had been previously about their trip, I did very little research about things to do in Prague. We had an amazing time, though! And now I have a long list of things to do when we return!

Old Town Square...Founded in the 12th Century

St. Nicholas Church at Old Town Square (1273)

Church of Our Lady before Tyn has the oldest organ in Prague (1673).

The Astronomical Clock is a very popular tourist spot!

I couldn't figure out how to share the video, but there are several things that happen at the top of the hour...

....including a skeleton ringing a bell. 

There was quite the crowd to watch it all go down!

We stopped by an Irish Pub in the square to "cheers" our friends, Jim and Laurie. They came last September and gave us this Czech Koruna to have a beer on them!

I loved that there were still markets going on!

That evening we took a boat tour on the Vltava River. This is a picture of the Charles Bridge. Construction began in 1357 and was completed in 1402.

The city was beautiful lit up at night!

The next day, we walked up to the Letna Overlook with views of the Vltava River and Old Town.

We rewarded ourselves with a beer after that climb!

Pilsner Urquell is the world's first known pilsner originating in Czech. Apparently the same recipe has been used since 1842. 

From there we walked to Mala Strana for some lunch and up to the Prague Castle (built in the 9th Century). The clouds and the rain started rolling in, so I didn't get the best pictures. Next time!

St. Vitus Cathedral is located on the castle grounds.

From the castle, we walked back down to the Charles Bridge. This is one of 30 sculptures that have been carved to decorate the bridge. The sculptures were carved between the years 1683 and 1928.

We had planned to walk over the bridge to Old Town, but the police had a different plan. No idea what happened, but we had to turn around. The rest of the sculptures will have to wait until our next trip. 

Looking down on the Certovka Canal.

We eventually made it to the other side and watched a beautiful sunset and saw the castle lit up at night.

The next day was the Prague Marathon....

....And we drank beer as the runners that finished passed us by!

We eventually made our way over to the finish line. We saw young, old, people in tuxedos and Darth Vader (May the 4th be with you). These three buds caught my attention as they held hands going across the finish line. Made me think of Ellis and his friend, Birch. They just finished a half marathon and have thoughts of a full marathon next year. If they go through with it, I hope to be there. 

Enjoyed hanging out with these two rockstars that actually did run the marathon. Kate (pink sweatshirt) insisted I wear her medal. I was so excited to pretend! HA!

See you next time, Prague!