England 2008:

Gillian and I went to England to visit her family.

Wilmslow:  July 17-21

Gillian's Aunt Ruth was having a party to celebrate her 50th birthday and her and Gillian's Uncle Gary's 30th wedding anniversary.  We rented a room at a nearby hotel/pub (The Horse and Four) which was walking distance to their house.  Their house was located just outside of Manchester.  I got to meet almost the entire family (aunts, uncles, cousins, and her brother).  The weather was mostly overcast with a lot of light showers and an occassional downpour.  I also got to learn the rules of cricket as we watched 4 days of a 5 day match.

Newcastle & Durham:  July 21-24

We took the train up to Newcastle to stay with Gillian's aunt Dorothy and her cousins Louise, Emma, and John Robert.  We spent a day in nearby Durham visiting Durham Castle and Cathedral and walking around the town.  We spent another day walking around Newcastle, taking in the sites and shopping.  Gillian's uncle John also came and picked us up for an evening to take us up to his new house in Murton (near Sunderland)

London: July 24-27th

To end the trip, we took the train down to London and stayed with Gillian's cousin Beth and her boyfriend James.  James owns a flat near Paddington and Hyde Park.  On Friday, Beth and James had to work so Gillian and I spent 7 hours walking around London and taking in the sites.  That night we went down to Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown for dinner.  The next day we walked down to Notting Hill where there was a sort of farmer's market going on.  We stopped by the bookstore from the movie (Notting Hill) and had a pint at a local pub.  After, we grabbed supplies and went into Hyde Park and had a picnic.  On Sunday, we got up and went to the airport to come home.

I would like to thank all of Gillian's relatives as I had a great time and enjoyed meeting everyone.  I can't wait until we can all get together again.