England 2008

Keri and I began our trip in England with a 12 hour layover before our plane took off to Rwanda. We decided to take a bike tour of the city of London instead of sitting in Heathrow Airport for 12 hours! It turned out to be a fabulous way to tour the city. We were able to get some "exercise" as well as seeing the city's hot spots in about 4 hours time. I was so glad that we did it. The tour guide was very informative and humorous. To top it off, we met Ricki Lake, the American talk show host, on our bike tour. I was going to ask for a photo with her but Keri stated that there was a reason she was wearing the sunglasses and large hat despite there being no sun out that day!

Chris and Jenn, We love you guys! Can't wait to see you again; you two mean so much to us.

Love you guys!

Steven and Keri

I had to get the "tourist" photo in. Nothing like having a photo in the famous phone booths of England.

Keri and I were able to navigate our way through London via the tube. We were quite impressed considering we are both bad at directions!

This is where Princess Diana lived after her divorce with Prince Charles. The gate might look familiar. It is famous because this is where all the flowers were placed after her tragic death.

The guards of Buckingham Palace.

Ok, so maybe we had quite a few tourist photos! I really like this one though. Oh, by the way, Keri and I did not plan on matching. After 24 hours in airports we happened to only have the same color clothing left in our carry on luggage!

The bike was almost too small for Keri, hence the reason why there is no photo of Steven! Did I say we looked like tourists? :)

Buckingham Palace. The Queen was not home.

Big Ben.

This is the site of the 2012 Olympic Beach Volleyball venue. Keep your eye out for it and remember that you heard it here (stevenandkeri.blogspot.com) first.

Chris, Jenn, Keri and I at a small farm's local brewery. It was very cool! I've got my own personal beer mug from there and Chris bought plenty of the local brew since it was his favorite and they were going to be moving to Sheffield soon which is about 4 hours drive away.

Yes, we were cramped! You can see Keri and Jenn if you look closely!

Paul and Sue's house. We stayed there for a couple nights. We had a great time hanging out with Chris' family. Looking back, I am so glad we were able to stay since it was the last time we were able to spend time with David.

The Angel of the North who watches over NewCastle.

Chris and Jenn's "posh" living area. They are house sitting for a friend until it sells. For there sake I hope it doesn't sell for a long time!

Yep, posh!

A very cool evening. Chris and Jenn had so many great things planned and this was one of them. We went to a National Trust mansion and then enjoyed a picnic dinner and outdoor play. It was fantastic. Just thinking about it now makes me want to do it all over again. Another thing that we did that was fabulous was go out to eat one night. Keri and I are still salivating over the food we had at this restaurant. It is called the Granger Rooms. It was by far the nicest meal I have ever had. Chris and Jenn were so generous to us. We are so greatful for our relationship with them. Oh, did I mention that I ate ox tongue!?!

I'm not sure who took this photo but it has a funny story behind it. We went to a palace and had a bad experience. Jenn and I wanted to get a refund; however Chris and Keri did not think that was necessary. Needless to say, Jenn and I (in photo below) expressed our concerns to an employee. No one else wanted to go with us; however it looks like they did want some blackmail maybe?!

Fullwood Church where Chris' family attends in Sheffield. Isnt' it beautiful? I'm amazed at the history in everything over in England.

Blenhiem Palace Gardens.

Blenheim Palace. Can you believe that this was a gift to a general for winning a war!?!

I'm in the wrong business!

We were trying to show how big the tree was.....BIG....

A video of the Buckingham Palace Guards. Enjoy.

Oh, and mind the horse!