A typical London weekend

Lest I give the impression that I dislike living in the UK - cease that thought! I am fully aware how lucky I am to have this experience.

For example, take the weekend that just passed. Not a very exciting weekend, judging by the datebook; Christmas and New Year's are over, the dreary days of January begun. And it wasn't action packed by any imagination - we've certainly accomplished far more in 48 hours. But, just a sampling of what we did on Saturday and Sunday:

1) Visited the National Gallery to view the Velazquez exhibition. The exhibition traced Velazquez's career from its beginnings in Seville to his studies in Rome to its apex at the court of Philip IV. While some of his most famous masterpieces, such as Las Meninas, remain at the Prado in Madrid, the Spanish museum did send some fine examples of his work to London such as "Baltasar Carlos on Horseback" and "El Nino de Vallecas." The loaned paintings supplemented the fine Velazquez masterpieces in the National Gallery's collection such as "The Rokeby Venus" and "Philip IV of Spain in Brown and Silver." The gallery was crowded, but the crush wasn't nearly as unpleasant as the throngs at the Holbein exhibition put on by the Tate Britain. And the audio guide was one of the best we've experienced, well worth the three pounds.

2) Went ice skating at the Tower of London. Ice skating. In a moat. At a castle. In the middle of one of the world's most modern cities.

3) Attended a dinner party. The guests originally hailed from the Netherlands, Germany, Korea, the US, and we even had one or two native Brits ;-)

Now, I could have these experiences (well, maybe not ice skating in a moat, but ice skating as an activity) in other cities, but I'm still in awe that this was a typical, if rather lazy, weekend for us. I hope I never lose that awe and take these opportunities for granted.