Barcelona

Boqueria!

9:00 PM

This was recommended to us by a few friends and it was worth the time!
Good, beautiful food is always worthwhile...



Marzipan and gummies. So fun!

Allllll the chocolate

We picked out flavours like white pear, pineapple, mandarin and raspberry.
SOFTEST, powerfully sweet flavours.....for 1 million dollars! jk but seriously it was so much more expensive than I would've thought that we would pay for sweets. I have scrubbed the amount we paid from my mind. I wish only to keep the memory of how amazing the gummies were and forget the number of euros the sweet little ladies stole from us.

I have a special place in my heart for Borough Market in London...but this place blows BM out of the galaxy!





Meat, fish, veggies, fruit



I had never seen barnacles before and I cannot imagine how they are edible but I am fascinated.

Such a great recommendation and we will definitely stop by next time we are in Barcelona.

Borough market

Because I'm obsessed with Borough Market

9:00 PM

We read the weekly TimeOut magazine for news of the week's activities.
We've found some pretty great stuff to do and new food places to try in those pages.

a list of the best toasted cheese sandwiches aka Grilled Cheese? YES, PLEASE

But first, a walk through the produce...
My eyes have been opened. I had NO idea that this is how brussel sprouts grow!

The prettiest tomatoes

I adore eggplant but they call it AUBERGINE here. Which just makes me love it more :)

I am clueless if these are good quality/price but it's an impressive sight!

This is toasted sandwich we tried, Kappacasein!
The grill-guy there I now know to be raclette! Melted, hot cheese that was then scraped off to top some chips. Didn't get that this time around but I am salivating just thinking about it.

A 4-cheese mix that was perfectly tasty, though Taylor isn't super convinced it is worth the price, £6 per sandwich....pricey to be sure.

Don't be fooled by the night-time shot. This was probably 4:00pm... Borough Market is only open morning/afternoon. Not an evening market. We love to go for lunch on the weekend.

day trip from London

Temple and Croydon

4:53 PM

Weekends are so special. At this time of our lives, it means we get to soak up 48 hours of being together.

We attended the London England LDS Temple. It is about 30 miles from the City of London.
For people who don't have a car, the public transport from the City to the Temple consists of either hiring a small bus with a bunch of other people or taking the train and a cab or a series of buses and a bit of walking. 
We did the train this time and it worked out! We didn't sleep in or nearly miss the train so...oh wait, one of us slept in a bit. ;)
England has beautiful country. It's gorgeous and inspiring just to be out in so much green and fresh air in a place where mobile service is patchy. A nice little break from the city. 

One the way back home, we got off the train in East Croydon for a Costco run.
We wandered through the city to find FOOD before shopping. If I go to the store hungry, I buy sooo much more than I should. At Costco, that could be a mistake of terrible economic proportion...

We have been meaning to try the chain Yo!Sushi that is all over town.
Pleasantly found a small branch inside one of the many malls of Croydon. (Seriously, so many big malls all close together)

The coloured plates have different price values attached. At the end of the meal, an attendant counts up the number of each colour plate and hands you the bill. It could be really easy to spend loads of money by just grabbing off the conveyor. We stuck to pushing the red button at our table and getting the warm, fresh options that were not coming out as often on the conveyor belt. 
There is a refreshingly cold water tap right in front of you, both still and sparkling water are unlimited. You just pay for the cup.
Aubergine Salad (I looooove eggplant)
I had some chicken katsu curry. Taylor had a yummy veggie soup with udon noodle. We split a few plates of sushi. Sushi wasn't bad.
While I'm glad we tried it, I wouldn't recommend it over somewhere like Hare & Tortoise which is probably in the same price point.

We got our loot at the Costco and hauled it back home. We took the train to London Bridge station during the peak time that the train was experiencing severe delays and other issues due to the England/Wales Rugby game. It's an exciting time to be in London (isn't it always?....) Rugby World Cup 2015! I just wish I knew more about rugby...

adventure

All about Keira

4:29 AM

Once upon a time, I worked in Juneau, Alaska. The Summer of 2012 I was assigned a roommate who would also be working for HAP. It could have been a disaster. I could've had a pothead for a roommate. Really. 
Instead, I was blessed with a fantastic person and darling friend! 

We had crazy, amazing adventures on the West Coast so when we both found ourselves on the East Coast this summer, we had to have a reunion. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A NY visit must. 
Our last selfie had been on top of Mount Juneau. Rooftop garden at the Met is good,  too. 

See what she did there?

Can you see the dragonfly hanging out with us? 

So much to see, so little time 

One of those was mine 

It was a goal of mine to eat a New York hot dog from a cart. Check!

Boats on the pond in Central Park (xoxo GG)

This is our attempt at getting frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. Line was too long for us. 

Got Sprinkles ice cream instead! This is their red velvet flavor. Not too bad. Not my favorite though. Also, I was warned not to eat the ATM-style cupcakes. I guess you can order your cupcake from outside. But only try it if you like your cupcakes stale. ;)

This midtown Hilton has some great stories. Not only is it the Hilton in which Keira has stayed for her model UN, but it is the same place where we share a special Larson memory. 

Last year, we flew into JFK for a quick weekend in Connecticut when Nick (BIL) got home from an LDS mission to Brazil. Our flight from SLC had been circling over Pennsylvania awaiting permission to land. We circled so long, we were getting low on fuel and were directed to Detroit to land and refuel. 
This part of the story is so that you know that we got to the hotel MUCH later that anticipated. Since we didn't check in, our rooms were probably given away so Bruce stood at the desk while the desk attendants attempted to find enough room for 7 of us that had arrived at 2:00am. The attendants whispered to each other, clacked away on the keyboard and then went 'in the back'. One guy came back and asked, 'Mr. Larson, would you be willing to be upgraded to the penthouse suite for no extra charge?' 

Yes! Duh. 

We grabbed our bags and followed an attendant to the correct elevator, got out at the highest floor and followed to the next elevator. This very small elevator opened only with our room key. What?
We stepped out into the two-story penthouse, gawking at everything. The spiral staircase. Modern art. The view. A secret bookshelf door that led from the study to the kitchen. There were huge rooms with canopy beds and plenty of room for us all. It was lush, spacious and amazing. Too bad we were only there for a few hours to sleep. 
We discovered that it used to be Lucille Ball's private apartment. Nbd. 

A dandelion fountain in front of the hotel. 

A rocking horse bush. By Jeff Koons. (He's a really big deal.....according to cabs across the city, fashion loves him)

We were running low on battery for our phones so we cheated the system and visited Grand Central Apple Store and charged our phones while we played games on the demo iPads. 

The Brooklyn Bridge at night is stunning. The brightest light out there is the Empire State Building. 

Downtown Manhattan

My man <3

Keira!!!!

We brunches at Kitchenette! It is cute and delicious! 

The strongest lemonade ever. But very, very real. Not a speck of powdered or artificial flavor in that jar there. 

Omelette was delish. Great biscuit (still love Ruth's Diner mile high biscuits more) and yummy potatoes!
This area is the public use area of the Hudson in which a volunteer group operates a free kayaking place! 

All volunteer operated means they run off of donations so bring a few bucks because it's worth it. They have everything you need: life jackets, paddles and the kayaks. If you're a kayaking veteran, be aware they don't have spray skirts so dress accordingly. You WILL get wet. 

Love him! 

We were taking fun group selfies until we realized we were missing the best back drop. 

There we go. 

One of those identical buildings out there (far left) is where we have been staying.


We were all funned out. Keira and Taylor got nice and burned. 

The classic touristy map 

Keira had Bellingham, Washington covered. 


Taylor and I pinned Utah county :)

Cannoli from Caffe Dante. L-E-G-I-T
We have been trying to eat our way through a list 'Best Thing I Ever Ate' from a good friend who is a major foodie. It's still ongoing. This list is loooong. 

Washington Square park gems. Yes, she made paper pigeons...

Keira's dream guy. Desperately looking for her all over the East Village. 

Vietnamese sandwich from heaven. I looooved it. Grilled pork, cilantro and pickled carrots. YUM! 

Taylor got the pork over rice. He said he still likes Oh Mai in Holladay, UT better though. 

Matchy matchy saltwater sandals in Times Square. 

This girl got soooo close to Keira on a subway car with broken A/C. At one point, she was mimicking Keira's posture. Cutie. 

I brought her out to the balcony as soon as she got here. The view took her breath away the first time she saw it. We had to go say goodbye here, too. 

Love you, dearest Keira!

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