So I’ve been negligent in posting lately (I’m getting back on top of that – thanks for sticking with me). Â I got back from a week in London with a 2 year old, which is no small feat, let me tell you. Â And on top of it all, the first day my wallet got nicked. Â It had both our passports in (stupid of me). Â Fortunately for me, a lovely man found it – the pickpockets simply took the money out and then ditched it in a park – so we got everything back other than the 300 quid (also stupid of me to carry that much cash).
As I continue to gather myself (do laundry, pay bills, nurse both Hannah and I through our colds we caught, get on top of everything that fell apart during our week away) here are some pictures.
We went to see Santa, since they don’t really do Santa in Spain. Â We went on a day when it was overcast and drizzly, so there was no queue to see the Big Man. Â Hannah was starstruck. Â This is the first Christmas where she’s really aware of everything, and she really had a blast putting it together that this was the man she’d seen so many pictures of, and that he was going to somehow fly to her house, land on the roof, come down the chimney, and bring her prizes.
My wallet got nicked on the way to see Big Ben the first day, with my best friend of 15 years. Â The pickpockets did it when I was getting on the bus with the stroller – they made a big deal about helping me with the stroller, and made all this drama as if it was all this hard work, and meanwhile they took my wallet. Â Lesson learned. Â Don’t carry a ton of cash and passports. Â Sigh. Â I realized the wallet was stolen 20 minutes into the bus ride. Â We got off at Big Ben and Sandor got cash out of a machine for me, and then we took a Big Ben Selfie before I called the embassy about getting our passports (this was before I knew they were safe, of course).
The next day, passports firmly back in the flat and only 70 quid of cash carried in my pocket, we headed up to Cambridge and took a selfie in front of King’s College chapel. Â Hannah was unimpressed.
She was, however, much more impressed with the 6-story Waterstone’s Picadily, the flagship store of this chain that I love. Â Many books were purchased. Â Not as many as I would have liked, since none of my cards worked (they had been cancelled before realizing they were safe, of course). Â But enough so that Santa’s pack will be a bit heavier than he may have expected this year.
I absolutely love this photo. Â If the only reason we had gone to London was to get this photo, I’d be happy with the trip. Â Hannah and Big Ben. Â I first saw Big Ben when I was 23. Â This chick gets to see it 21 years younger than me. Â It makes me so happy that she’s growing up with London such a big part of her life.
I’ll be back in a more regular schedule from here on out. Â But I hope you enjoyed this little interlude.
Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop.
She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 30 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history (how exciting when she got to interview Alison for the first time!). In addition to history, she is passionate about travel, and has lived in 3 countries and 4 states (not counting her perpetual state of confusion), and her family (who help her host her YouTube channel occasionally).
