One is silver and the other gold

On Thursday I was tickled pink to welcome two of my childhood friends for a visit. One flew in from Texas with her kids and mom while the other one got to sneak away from the fam in Holland to visit with us.


Over the past couple days I've had wine, martinis and sangria while catching up with two old friends late into the night and laughing until I cried.  It's funny how that happens - you add a lot of years, some wrinkles, graying hair, teenagers to drive you nuts, and thousands of miles between us, but we can still giggle like hyenas and have a good time together.


The ladies arrived on Thursday and we got settled.  Friday I drove us to Stonehenge for a look-see.  Then Saturday morning we had a private London driving tour for our little group.  Blue badge guide Bob was an older gentleman that chauffeured us around in his van to see all of the iconic London sights.  We gulped down a late lunch at YO! Sushi (conveyor belt self serve - very cool - see the little video I made while we were eating) and then zipped into Her Majesty's Theatre for a matinee performance of "Phantom of the Opera."  

Sunday I drove us to Windsor Castle where we got to take a gander at the very impressive state rooms.  Per the queen's coat of arms flying from atop the tower, it seems Lizzie was in residence.  I guess she forgot that my good friends were in town and that's why we didn't get an invite for afternoon tea.  


Today we said goodbye to our Holland friend since she had to get back home to the family.  Duty calls in the form of school runs, her job and all that other fun stuff.  I spent the morning showing my Texas friend the commuter train and tube ropes so she would be familiar with public transportation in the greater London area.  


It never fails... While standing in the Tower of London ticket line, we started chatting with a nice older couple from Philadelphia with a young teenage boy in tow.  It seems they had brought their grandson to London for spring break.  He lives in College Station and his dad (their son) is an engineering professor at Texas A&M.  No matter where you go on the planet, you're bound to run into some sort of Aggie or Longhorn.