What a Whirlwind in London!

 Four days in London is not enough by any stretch of the imagination...and when you are there to watch your younger sister compete at the Olympic Games, well, the time seems to fly even faster! It also just so happened that this was the first time in perhaps...well ever, that so many of my family members had been in the same place at the same time.  So on top of everything, a family reunion of sorts was also underway. Suffice it to say that my usual foodie adventures were kept to a minimum, but here are some of the highlights of my trip!

 On the first day, my older sister and I met up at the Heathrow Airport and after a relatively smooth trip on the Underground (aka the Tube), we made it to my friend's place in Notting Hill. Talk about a quintessential English neighborhood - the cobble stone streets and tiny, hidden alleys (once you got over being completely lost), are so poetic!

  Our first stop after having met up with some of our immediate family, was the Canada House, located in Trafalgar Square (full of history!) at the Canadian Consulate.

 As a family member of an Olympian (saying that will never get old), we were given official Olympic IDs that gave us access to this area.  It was basically a way of bringing the Canadian families and support teams together. I really loved the idea, not to mention the unlimited snacks, drinks and other goodies they had for us there:)

 I of course managed to stop off at least once a day for some treat.  We were so lucky with the weather that Gelato from Gelato Mio was generally a must have.

 Thursday was the first day of Rosie's competition.  They were competing at the Wembley Arena.  We had a great group of Canadians there to support the girls which is such an important part of the experience for them.  My three other sisters and I were a powerful cheering contingent, even if the giant Canadian flag we were waving turned into a tug of war at one point...in true Cossar sibling style:)

 

 The arena itself was huge and completely sold out. It must have been wild to walk out onto that carpet!

During the first routine, 5 balls, I was a nervous wreck in the audience, but by Friday, I had managed to pull myself together and the girls had a fantastic second and final routine (Rosie is the one in the front to the right).

 On Saturday, after the two days of overwhelming competing and cheering, my dad took us to Covent Garden to walk around the market and explore more cute little side streets.

 I also managed to go into about 5 different sweet shops. In England, these are filled with great, old-school sweets like Lemon Drops and various Toffee balls.

 I may or may not have had a little moment and dragged my family past the Royal Opera House, home to the Royal Ballet Company. The building was closed to the public while we were there, so we did not get to go inside, which was a pity.

I am now safely back in Boston, and thinking back, it was truly a whirlwind of a trip. I don't think I have ever had so much go on in so few days. It was incredible to be a part of and I will remember it for the rest of my life. I can't even begin to imagine what my sister is feeling right now...lucky for her, she is still in London, enjoying a much needed break!