It's Been Awhile ...

My life had been too busy for Toastmasters after I became an Area Director for District 33 (CA & SNV) in 2016-2017.

2016-2017 Disrict 33 Division D Area 1 Director  --- Presidents' Distinguished Area
2017-2018 District 33 Division D Director ------------ Select Distinguished Division
2018-2018 District 33 Club Growth Director --------- Stepped down on Dec 20, 2018 for special
                                                                                       reasons

On December 24, 2018 until December 31, 2018 my family and I went to London & Paris.Ohskar's family which includes wife Johanne, children Jelo, Jelay, and Justin came along. It was a very tightly scheduled trip from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport to Heathrow International Airport in London, UK.

We arrived London on Christmas Day. We were invited in one of Johanne's friends in London for the Christmas dinner. That was a super-duper treat for all of us knowing we are in a foreign land.

The following days were hectic. We managed to visit as many tourist spots in London including the iconic Westminster Abbey Road Walk where the Beatles crossed in Westminster Abbey, London. This was memorable for me because I love the Beatles. I was a teenager the time Beatles soared up high in the entertainment world. My favorite song is, "Do You Want to Know a Secret."

We walked around London streets and walkways. The roads are quite narrow compared to the American standards. The walkways in between are concrete made, some reddish bricks and stones, mostly standard. I was able to find a number of "old telephone booths" in many corner streets, inevitably they are there just for looks of the old London way. In fact, I had several pictures beside the telephone booth, one of which covers my 2nd poetry book entitled, "Expressions Impressions."

We were using UBER all the time as we moved from one scenic spot to another. We just passed by the Buckingham Palace in one of those rides, reason we had no pictures at the palace. We were able to go to one of the most popular parks in London called Hyde Park. It is a green haven but in winter the park hosts a public event called Winter Wonderland. It features a variety of rides, food from delicacies, sweets & candies, real food from sandwiches to grilled or barbecued meat & hotdogs, too! I found some cotton candies, fresh fruits & vegetables, plus drinks of all kinds.

I will continue the narrative of our trip next time....