Quick trip to Gatwick UK

This last week, we went to Gatwick airport outside London. I was working, Ed was visiting tourist sights. As I slaved away in a conference room and ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, Ed was out galivanting around the British Museum, West End, and the British Library. So we'll share his pictures now, and we can all vicariously travel the same roads.

The British Museum is just amazing. Assyria has a huge space with a huge pair of winged beasts guarding the door.

The Rosetta Stone is there. That is the stone that allowed people to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics since it had the same text in three different languages, including Greek.

There are figures from the Parthenon.

But best of all, in Ed's world, is the Money Collection! He took 200+ pictures in that one room. In 2005, when Ed, Deanna and I were there, practically as soon as we entered the room the alarm went off and we had to evacuate. We have always blamed Ed for stealing something and setting off the alarm, but maybe not. Anyway, this time he managed to spend hours in there with no alarms!

 

This picture is from a hoard that was recently discovered in the UK.

After the museum, Ed visited a couple of big coin dealers. The second day, he froze his tush off walking around London, following one of Rick Steves' walking tours. The wind was biting. The third day, he rode out to the British Library. They have the Magna Carta, Beowulf, the original notebook of Alice in Wonderland that Lewis Carroll gave to Alice, Beatles "I Want To Hold Your Hand" notes, Da Vinci, Dickens, and more. It's just amazing.

We are glad we are getting these opportunities. It is only a two-hour flight. We came back to hope of spring. The snow had melted down quite a lot, and Friday night it even rained, melting even more! But today is Sunday, and it is snowing now, it snowed last night, and it hailed on Ed and me when we went out for a walk. But Ed took a picture of crocuses in London, so we know spring is in the neighborhood!

 

See the squirrel?