Giant Bubbles...

There’s always a variety of performers along the Thames. The one that caught our attention was the fellow making enormous bubbles.

Jimmy jumped right in and tried to catch some bubbles along with the kiddies. Luckily no one accused him of being a kook.

While Veronica took lots of photos, Leigh dropped some coins in to thank the fellow for the entertainment.

Meeting Leigh and Mike in London...

That Sunday we caught an early train down to London in order to meet up with my sister Leigh and her husband Mike, who were visiting from California. We laughed that Jimmy bought a James White Apple and Ginger Juice for the journey.

Our meeting plan backfired as I assumed that they’d take the Tube from their hotel, but instead they saw a lot more of the city than they bargained for after their taxi driver got lost. At least Veronica had a chance to take this cool shot of The Shard while we waited.

After discovering that Borough Market was closed on Sundays, we found a nearby pub for fish ‛n chips. Then we took a wander along the Thames to the Tate Modern, where we stopped for a glass of wine at the café on the top floor.

Definitely worth waiting for a table for the fantastic view.

As we made our way towards Big Ben, we found a food truck selling microbrews. Leigh and Mike were definitely a great couple to drink our way across London with.

Veronica's Future Dorm...

We weren’t able to enter Veronica’s residence hall, but could at least take some photos.

Her flat consists of 12 individual en-suite rooms along with a shared kitchen. She’ll get a good stair workout on a daily basis since she’ll be living on the 3rd floor and there’s no elevator.

We now understand why the bunny is the unofficial UEA mascot after spotting a bunch of them across from the campus grocery store. We took the bus back into town and had a delicious Indian dinner. Veronica and I then went to see the National Theatre’s performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, which was fantastic; unfortunately, there were only two last minute tickets available for the sold-out show, so Jimmy couldn’t join us.

Walking A Bike Across Town...

Veronica was too nervous that she’d end up cycling on the wrong side of the road, so thought it much safer to walk her bike across town to drop it off on campus. Of course, we went with her.

We walked through the Royal Arcade, built in 1899, housing a mix of restaurants and shops.

Along our 3.5-mile route, we passed through many neighborhoods and a very large park. If we had more time, we would have stopped to play some footgolf, a golf game played with soccer balls.

Veronica was all smiles when we reached the campus. Our timing was perfect as there was an open day and we were able to get in to see a dorm room so we’d have a better idea of what supplies we’d need to buy for her room.

Arriving in Norwich...

We made it to Norwich quite early, so had to wait several hours before being able to drop off our stuff at the apartment we were renting for several nights. While Jimmy waited in a café with our bags, Veronica and I went in search of a cash machine and some ideas of what to do in Norwich between running errands.

Norwich Market has been in operation at the present site for over 900 years! It remains one of England’s largest markets.

A quick glance at the booths, however, didn’t inspire us much, so we ventured further where we discovered that there was a food fair in a park and a chocolate festival in a school. We returned to both after dropping off our luggage at the apartment and enjoyed some great vegetarian food while listening to a local band followed by some incredible vegan chocolate ice cream.

We didn’t have much time to explore the quaint shopping area, but it’s nice to know that we’ll have such a great city to wander around when we visit Veronica over the next few years.

Ferry to England...

On September 11, Veronica set off for the next chapter of her life...

...with her trusty bike and way too much luggage. Here she is waiting for the train at Voorschoten Station. 

Unfortunately, since Ashlynn had just started school, she was unable to join us for the big move.

Jimmy and Veronica enjoyed a traditional herring when we arrived at Hoek van Holland to board the ferry.

Veronica actually had to cycle her bike up the car ramp while Jimmy and I took all the luggage up the pedestrian ramp.

After we dropped everything in our room, we went outside to enjoy some snacks and bubbly. We ran into one her classmates who was also making the move to England.

First Day of School...

Ashlynn and I returned from Tokyo on the first Sunday in September and she started school the very next day. Here she is on the first day of Year 11 (10th grade), the first time that she posed alone for a first day pic as up to this point Veronica was also always starting school on the same day.

The girls didn’t have much time to spend together between the time that Ashlynn returned home and Veronica was leaving home for university. For her farewell dinner, we went to Oudt Leyden, our favorite pannekoeken restaurant in Leiden.