Plane tickets booked – check. Hotels booked – check. Tours booked – check. Everything paid for – oh ya!! It’s official. Mike and I are heading to Paris and the UK on August 1st for two weeks. Yahooo!!!! You see, next week on June 10th we will have been married for 25 years, and I always told Mikey that he had to take me on a big trip for our 25th :), but his idea of Alaska and salmon fishing just wasn’t what I had in mind. I think Paris, London, and Scotland will be much more romantic don’t you? LOL
All my life I have wanted to go to Scotland to see where my mom’s side of the family came from, but I never really thought that my dream would come true. With two kids we never had the money to take big trips, but we always enjoyed great family vacations around our beautiful province of Ontario and also took the kids to Disney World one year. We even managed to send both of our kids on school trips to Europe, which I was so glad we were able to do because they had experiences that they will never forget. However, the boys are grown now and it’s our turn to do something on our own :).
On August 1st we will be hopping on a plane to Paris for 3 days, then London for 4 days, and finally a whole week in Scotland. We bought a Paris Pass which gives us free admission to most of the big tourist attractions around the city (including The Louvre, the Arche de Triomphe, and Notre Dame Cathedral), and we are going on two day tours in London – one is a tour of the city including the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby, Big Ben, etc. and the other is a trip to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. Then when we get to Scotland it’s a mixture of tours and free time to explore. We are taking a long day trip up through the Highlands to see Loch Ness and another day trip to see Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond. Most exciting of all is that we have tickets to see the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo, which I just know is going to be absolutely amazing!
So, my dream is finally coming true, and I couldn’t be more excited. Just imagine the photos I will have to share with you when we get back. I can’t wait!! However, I still have two months to wait, so let’s get back to the present and play the mystery photo game. This is another picture taken with my new little iPhone macro lens, and it’s a pretty tough one. I might even stump Jeff Sinon with this one :). Let’s have some fun. Ok, ready, set, go….
As an addendum to my post yesterday, I thought I would show you a photo of the mystery photo object to give you a better understanding of the closeup. It is actually the side of a small padlock, and like I said with the iPhone macro gizmo I was able to zoom in really close. So, without further ado, here it is:
photos from the loonybin 
I have absolutely no idea what this is, I’m not even going to try and guess. Glad you’re coming to Bath as that’s near me and I won’t have to trek all the way into London to meet you. Exciting stuff.
What? You’re not going to come into London so I can watch you and TBM get drunk at a pub?
Logistically London is a lot more difficult but then again pubs in London with TBM what could go wrong. I’ll need to find a babysitter if trekking all the way to London. Send me your schedule for both Bath and London and I will speak to the boss when she gets home later.
Did someone say pub?
Pub pub pub. How did the move go? When are you and TBH coming to visit the West Country?
Still moving. We divided up the joy over two weekends. Oh boy, am I having a blast 😦
Do I sense a little bit of sarcasm there? 🙂
OH no. Who doesn’t love putting stuff in boxes, carrying heavy boxes, unpacking boxes, and then repeating it a million times. Best time of my life.
I know it sucks, but just remember that it’s going to be totally worth it!!
don’t know, don’t care
Aww, is somebody cranky this morning? LOL!
yes, yes I am
Eat some chocolate – that will make you feel happy again :). My friend is not allowed to be cranky.
just kidding–of course I care about everything you do and I am so excited for you–what a coincidence that my mom’s family came from Scotland too–and it is my dream of visiting there someday too–take some pics for me
as for the mystery photo–I am convinced it is the undergrill of your space ship–which leaves me wondering–if you can go to space on a regular basis, why do you have to buy tickets to travel teh earth?
What was I thinking?!? Why did I pay for plane tickets? I could just have my alien friends drop me off over there. I will pay them in European chocolate :). I wish I could take you with me LouAnn – what fun times we would have.
I am most certainly stumped, but as an outstanding abstract image you’ve nailed it! 😀
Mwah ha ha!!! I actually stumped Jeff Sinon, the mystery photo champion :). I knew this one would be virtually impossible to guess, but I thought it was a really neat shot. Thanks Jeff.
Better than neat. Printed on metallic paper this would look awesome!
Wow Jeff, thanks! You just totally made my day :).
Great news about the trip!
Is the photo the bottom of Mike’s feet? I’m not sure why I pick on the poor man. After all, he has to put up with you 😉
Salmon fishing for a wedding anniversary. Don’t mention this to the better half, please.
There are salmon in Scotland, I wonder if that’s why Mike capitulated?
Ah, that must be it!
Shhhhhh, speak not about the salmon in Scotland or I shall have to cut out your tongue! LOL – just kidding.
I bet he already knows
Nah, I don’t think so, and for god’s sake don’t tell him if there are any casinos in the area either LOL!!
No idea about casino’s, I could find out though, I have friends in Edinburgh one of whom is actually Canadian
Nooooo!!! I don’t want to waste time in casinos LOL!
It’s fun to pick on Mikey – I do it all the time :). And, I keep telling him how lucky he is to have to put up with me LOL! OMG, now they have spicy food and fishing in common. What’s next?
Does he like Beer? Wine? Port? Whisky? Rum?
Hate to tell you but we don’t drink at all. Mikey used to be a beer drinker, but blood pressure and booze don’t mix apparently :). Don’t worry though, we have no problem with going to pubs to watch you and TBM drink!
I am putting a call into Mikey right now and telling him about the salmon in Scotland unless I get a truckload of chocolate pronto
Wow, threatened by one of my best blogging buddies :(. What is the blogging world coming to? LOL!!
it is a happy threat though
I am so busy at work today, I just had to have two chocolate cookies to keep me sane :). Wait a minute – am I ever sane? I think not LOL.
I reckon its a close up shot of the Iron Throne. 😛
Best answer ever!!! 🙂
Close up of your tire! Ah well, mainly I wanted to say how happy I am for you and Mikey and your grand adventure in August! What fun that will be and so well deserved. Twenty five years is a real milestone. Congratulations!!!! 🙂
Thanks Dor :). I can’t believe it has been 25 years – the time has flown by!
Congrats your holiday. 🙂 As it happens, I’ve just been to Windsor today and will be posting some pictures next week.
As for the thingy. It looks like a zylophone thats been roughly beaten by psychotic Smurfs. I’ll see if I can do better later. 🙂
Psychotic smurfs – love it 🙂
P.S. You chose good tours. I’m sure that you will enjoy it. 🙂
Thanks Graham. I’m getting really excited now that it’s getting so close. We have left some free days just to walk around too, but I wanted to do some organized tours because we have never been there before. Well, I have been to London once, but that’s it.
I’m putting together a series on visitors London and the UK. It will include a few little known places and be ready before your trip. 🙂
Cool! I look forward to reading it :).
Congrats on all your wonderful travels! Sounds so exciting! Will you bring me some English Cadbury’s chocolate? Mystery Photo – what a stumper! I don’t even have a guess this week!
Whenever my friend used to go to England to see family, she always used to bring us back Cadbury Flakes. They were always my favourite :).
Anything English Cadbury would be fine! Remember I am vying to be the patron saint of chocolate! Sharesies!
Hmmm, it might be the edge of a cutter/grinder.
Good morning everyone :). I don’t know if there is a way to post a photo in a comment, so look above to the original post, and I will give you the answer.
LOL Very clever. Should have been obvious. aaargh.
Tee hee!! Gotcha :).
What an exciting trip you have ahead of you!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to see the pictures that you bring us!!! Woo-hoo!
I’m sure I will take thousands :).
Your trip sounds marvelous – you’ll love Paris!
Oh, I’m sure we will :). I just wish we had more than a couple of days in Paris. However, we are fitting a great deal into two weeks, and then it will give us ideas of places we want to focus on next time right?
I’m so excited for you. You’ll love the trip. Sorry I wasn’t able to guess the mystery photo this week although there’s no way I would have gotten it.
Thanks Edith, and don’t worry there’s always next week :).
Montmartre and Montparnasse beat mosquitoes any time. I know you’ll be happier in Paris. Eve and I visited there in the late 1990s but haven’t yet been back. We’re slightly ahead of you when it comes to years: we’ll be marking our 27th next month.
We have a Paris Pass which gets us in free to the panoramic level of the Montparnasse Tower which I hear gives a fabulous view of Paris, and I have been reading a lot about Montmartre. I’m walking every day at lunch with a friend from work to try and get in shape for all the walking we will be doing. This is the first time we have gone on a big trip without our kids, and it will be the first time across the pond for my hubby and only the second time for me. I can’t wait!!
Congratulations and bon voyage! You are going to love every minute of your trip!
Thank you so much. I’m sure we will. I’m like a little kid getting excited about Christmas morning 🙂