So this is Christmas (Day 5 in London)

The kids woke up Sunday morning to early Christmas.

    

    

They had to wait patiently for the grownups to arise, but at least they could look out at the layer of snow that had formed in the early morning hours.

Our flight back to Spain from Gatwick was not until the afternoon and so we were all able to enjoy the view. I did not expect a white Christmas this year, living on the Costa Tropical.

Cyrus was eager to get outside to build snowman.

    

Once everyone was awake, Vicki made us full English breakfast! And then the children opened their gifts, purchased the previous day at Hamley's.

There's always a critic :)  :

Altogether a wonderful start to the holiday season for us, with Christian, Vicki, Gus, Sol, and Xan. And in fact, because we traveled on Christmas Day itself, and without family, this morning was the closest we got to a traditional Christmas day this year.

We finally packed up and got ready, made our way to the Forest Hill station to go to Gatwick. We missed the train we aimed for, and then the next one was canceled, but luckily we had left enough time to get to the airport, and all was well in the end (we were just a little cold). A direct flight to Malaga, an easy drive to Alumunecar, and we were back home.

London was a full and satisfying trip. We loved seeing the Howard Turners. Christian and Vicki are doing really well. The cousins are happy and healthy, taking everything in, and having a lot of fun. Their whole setup in Forest Hill is great -- and now we Norris Turners can picture it. We also succeeded in getting a taste of old London (the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace), seeing some of new London (the Lion King, the London Eye), and returning to familiar places (Highgate Village, Hampstead Heath, Covent Garden, and LSE). We walked along the South Bank, visited Borough and Leadenhall Markets, shopped at Hamley's, rode in a double-decker bus, and saw the main squares of central London (Leicester, Trafalgar, Piccadilly Circus). And we even managed to fit in some Harry Potter tourism. There is much more to do (e.g., we were sorry to miss the National Portrait Gallery on this visit). But we got a feel for what makes London such an amazing city: its charming, walkable neighborhoods, all connected by good public transportation, combined with its cosmopolitan vibe and diverse world-class cultural offerings. The children seemed impressed -- Charlotte especially left London thinking it would be a great place to live someday.

If we are keeping track, outside of Spain we have so far visited Portugal (Faro), Switzerland (Zurich, Berner Oberland, Basel), Italy (Rome), and now the UK (London). Charlotte and Cyrus seem to be at perfect ages to absorb it all -- to expand their sense of European history and more generally to imagine greater possibilities for themselves as citizens of the world. I hope so.