The Joneses...

I hopped on the train, ticket in my hand and heart racing (I'd reached the platform just seconds before the train was due to leave). Scanning the nearly empty train and taking  a seat, I leaned back and looked out the window. Though it was mostly dark, I could still make out the English scenery as it passed me by. I shut my eyes for a moment and thought through my day: hot mulled wine, a walk through a London street fair, Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace. I felt like I'd seen it all, though I knew there was so much I had missed. It'd been a whirlwind couple of days (final exams, catching a flight from Malaga to Southampton, staying with a family I'd never met, etc.) and I was exhausted but excited to see some "family."

Stepping off at what I hoped was the right station, I was greeted by Audrey and Rebecca's beautiful smiling faces, hugs, and a warm cup of hot chocolate. It was the first occasion that I'd be with them without the rest of my family. Though we were technically unrelated, I'd spent enough time with the Jones family to think of them as my own. As we caught each other up on recent events, I found myself smiling uncontrollably; I could feel my happiness (or was it the warmth from the hot chocolate?) spreading throughout my body. We drove to their hotel, where Audrey handed me a small synthetic Christmas tree. Apparently they'd spent Christmas in a hotel before and had learned to bring their own Christmas decorations. Rebecca, Clara and I set to the task of putting up the tree and wrapping it with tinsel (by the next morning we had some other decorations as well, but how we got them is another story all together!).

That night, I enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner at a restaurant with with their extended family. As always, every second with them was fun and entertaining: from ordering drinks to suspicious trips downstairs to the bathroom, I was a ball of laughter the whole night through. The girls (Rebecca, Clara, and I) shared a hotel room, and we talked late into the night about typical teenager things (much to Clara's dismay) and caught up on each other's social lives.

Bright and early (okay, eight o'clock might not seem so early to some of you, but when you're on Spanish time it's way, way too early) the next morning we walked around the corner to Marks&Spencers, where we shopped for breakfast food to take back into the hotel. In typical Jones family vacation style, the kids were handed baskets and told to get something that they wanted: we ended up with many, many chocolate brioches and croissants, as well as a good portion of fruit (yum!).

After our breakfast we made our way to Hampton Court Palace (home of King Henry VIII and his many, many wives), where we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and took a spin on a very fast carousel. Eventually, it grew too cold and dreary for even the Scots I was with, so we made our way to a movie theater and treated ourselves to Nativity 2: danger in the manger (starring David Tennant).

Sadly, my time with the Joneses was running out; they took me to the train station (where we batted our eyelashes at the manager to let the whole family come see me off on the platform) and set me off on my train back to Andover. As I got comfortable in my seat, I noticed a strange commotion from the corner of my eye. Much to my surprise (and glee) the whole family was standing outside the train window, shouting and jumping and waving. As I pulled out my camera to catch a photo of their craziness, the whole cabin's attention turned to me, the strange young American girl with lunatic (yet loving) relatives.  As they chased the train down the platform, I felt like the luckiest and most loved girl in the world.

Merry Christmas everyone :) I had a fantastic time in England, and may even post another story from my week there! It feels strange to come home to Spain instead of California, but I'm excited for the New Year and all the wonderful things it will bring.

As always,
Love From Marbella,
ShonaBell