London calling! We had a lovely week with family and some friends in London. It was David’s school break so we took the opportunity to spend time at my parent’s place in London whilst they are in California. Tia Mecha flew in from Valencia and we all got to spend family time together.

Feb 16 – Day 46

We had a very long and exciting day out at Harry Potter Studios. David thoroughly enjoyed himself and it was pretty darned impressive to see many of the sets and special effects. Specifically, the set of Gringotts Bank reminded me of the set of the Hall of Mirrors in Return to Oz in its scope and grandeur. It instantly took me back to my childhood wandering around set in Elstree Studios as a kid.

Feb 17 – Day 47

Tuesday we met up with friends for lunch just before they took the EuroStar to Paris for their kid’s school break and then walked along the Thames from Westminster to the London Bridge along the riverside. It was striking to me to see the high tide so extremely high that the steps down to the riverbank were completely covered by water.

When we got back “home” we had dinner with Taghi who brought an amazing homemade Persian soup made with love and his mother’s recipe.

Feb 18 – Day 48

The next day we had a pretty quiet day. David got his haircut at a nearby barber with an awesome dog.

And then we walked to Belsize Park to go to Daunts Books for load up with more English language books.

Feb 19 – Day 49

Thursday morning I had a webinar to do for work and then met up with the family in Camden Market before heading out to the British Museum. Walking around Camden is always fun and my inner goth babe gets quite happy.

The British Museum was chock full of people as it was school break not only in the Netherlands, but also in the UK. We went to check out the Rosetta stone and some of the mummies as we had recently read The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson author) and they start off in London in the British Museum.

We went upstairs to check out various other exhibits and spent quite some time looking at the Persian Empire collection. Given the destruction taking place in the past two weeks, it is very bittersweet to have seen these.

There’s a lot of bad blood between the UK and Iran, and the colonization and expropriation of their treasures is “problematic” to put it mildly. But the destruction of the UNESCO heritage sites that is currently taking place in Iran is absolutely horrific. So many things wrong with the war that Israel and the US launched in Iran, it’s difficult to comprehend, let alone for everyone in the region who is living through the horror of the bombardments and strikes.

Santi and I had a date that evening while Tia Mecha spent time with David. We walked around the “yard” around Covent Garden and Leicester Square before having an incredible Chinese dinner in the most unlikeliest of places - inside a Casino - but the food was delicious!

Then we saw Marty Supreme and I was honestly pretty underwhelmed. The plot surrounded a young man with a dream and “life” conspires against him. But mostly, it isn’t life, it is him making a series of selfish and conniving decisions that end up hurting a lot of people while he strives for his ‘destiny’. I found it very much like his previous film, Wonka, except this main character is an unlikeable bore of a man instead of a young naive dreamer. However, given the reviews and the money it made, I think I’m in the minority with my view.

Feb 20 – Day 50

Friday morning, I got up super early to catch the Eurostar back to Amsterdam so I could be back at work to host our first borrel with the return of Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet Archive to the Netherlands. I also met a bunch of people from the Decentralized Web Camp team. We will be working together this year as the camp is being hosted in Europe this year, rather than the States. It was nice to be back and the reception went well.

Feb 21 – Day 51

Saturday afternoon, I made my way to the Hague for a protest about ICE organized by a feminist collective Dolle Minas. It was very good to be among people who cared about what is happening in the states. I made some good contacts with people who will spread the word and participate in the No Tyrants protest in Amsterdam on the 28th of March.

That evening, I was able to go to a potluck dinner whose theme was South Korean food and one participant made and brought this rice and dried fruit dessert. It softly reminded me of rice pudding or bread pudding, but was very different. Looking online, it might have been Yaksik (Sweet Rice with Dried Fruits and Nuts). I made Instant Pot Korean short ribs - very yummy and I think I will make it again for my family to enjoy.

Feb 22 – Day 52

I still had the day to myself as the guys weren’t getting back from London until the afternoon. I went with a friend to the nearby spa (Thermen Maarssen) and got a massage and facial treatment and floated around in the water and soaked in the various saunas for a good long while. It’s such a beautiful place, but for obvious reasons, no electronics allowed, so no photos.

When the guys got home, David made a collection of his Donald Duck books to put up for sale so that he could have some pocket money to buy a new video game he’s been wanting: DeltaRune. He was able to play the demo and wanted to buy the full game. He says it’s the best video game he’s ever played.

I recently watched President Barak Obama’s eulogy for Rev. Jesse Jackson's memorial in Chicago and I encourage people to watch and listen. It is good to be reminded of the goodness of people who strive to make the world a better place.