All The Way To England!

If you want to turn on your Festive - if you can't seem to recapture the wonder and excitement you once had over Christmas and the holidays - just take a trip to London in December!

From our very arrival - gathering our luggage at baggage claim and finding our way to our fantastic bus driver, Sam - even though exhaustion of overnight travel had just about done us in - somehow the magic of Christmas was all around us.

Our first stop?  The Christmas Markets along the Queen's Walk along the Thames, not far from Tower Bridge.

Christmas trees were EVERYWHERE!

And so beautifully decorated.

First selfie to send home.

And the best part?  Much of this was under roof cover so the persistent rain didn't put a damper on our spirits.

We were here to rest a bit, to shop a bit, to grab a bite to eat and mostoy to wander.  Even if that meant doing it with the determination of "Umbrellas UP!"

Beautifully arranged and brightly colored offerings!

So pretty!

It was fun wandering the market -

But really - the only thing I wanted was a cappuccino and a place to view the sites and people watch.

Iconic London views -

A mixture of the old and the new(er)

Grey ship as grey as the rainy skies and the water below.

Tower Bridge not far off...

Must send this selfie to my dad!

INSIDE a bubble coffee shop!

I didn't get a photo of the outside, but this coffee bar and lounge area complete with the couches we are sitting on was protected from the weather by a bubble of crystal clear plastic, keeping us dry and out of the wind. This is Craftours tour manager Holly who has been with me on several of my trips. Always so good to be traveling with her taking care of all of the minute details.

Street scenes in the rain.

It's London.  Get used to it!

At this point I didn't remember why I was taking these specific photos.

Jet lag?

Up ahead - Westminster Cathedral!

There would be more of that on our city tour the next day.

London is SO SUPER CROWDED!

And it doesn't matter the weather, the masses are out in it.

All of the buildings are decked out in the latest Christmas attire.

This photo - because I thought the name was cute -

And I loved the mosaic tile walls.

More of the old -

Next to the new.

And  a pink trash can.

And then we did this on our way to our hotel:

Click to Play:

Super cool -
But did you see the CROWDS?

View from my hotel window at Canary Wharf.

Look closer by my watermark.

Yes.  That is a huge yellow rubber duckie.

Don't ask.

Yup.  It's still there!

Welcome dinner!

Don't ask me how we kept from falling asleep during the salad course.

I miss these folks so much already!
Honestly, this was such a MARVELOUS trip.

Click to view All My Tours and join me in my 2025 line up to discovering the crafts, culture and cuisine of Iceland in June, a celebration of quilting & textiles in France, Germany & Switzerland in September, and the treasures of a Bavarian/Austrian Christmas in December.

In January of 2026 we'll be somewhere warm with an exclusive arts & crafts experience in Morocco followed by the culture, crafts and traditions of Romania in June. September 2026 has us exploring all the quilting inspirations of India. 
I am so excited about this whole lineup over the next couple of years and I hope you'll join me.
Space is limited, and there is an early booking discount if you reserve your spot before Jan 1, 2025. Don't miss out!

Evening Hexie Stitching!
Yesterday was filled with much linn laundry, and clearing things for closing the retreat up for the next couple of months until we reopen the second week of February 2025.
You may think I'm nuts - but Christmas is even being put away, and Valentines is already going up.  
The house is currently warm while I take care of the laundry and other things, so why not start looking toward spring?
The mail order is also "nearly" caught up and I should be on top of everything today which means I'm diving right into getting Part Four of Old Town ready for Friday.
It's already WEDNESDAY?!?
My upside down body clock is still in recovery mode, but a nap yesterday afternoon helped me stay awake past 9pm last night and I was up at 5:30 this morning which beats 4:20 am by a long shot.
Since there is nothing in my hoop to hand quilt currently, I'm making some neutral hexie fill in units for my forever travel project so I'm ready to go to Australia in about 4 weeks. (!!!!)

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

When did baby steps into aging gracefully become an elephant stampede of "Hold on - It's a wild, wild ride!" ?!?!?!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!