Little Women in Salt Lake City

January 2020: when I had a fun-filled weekend with one sister, one daughter, and one niece.

Friday- Our day was so fancy, it was downright magical.  We started off with a visit to Cathedral of the Madeleine, slipping in the front doors just as it started to rain.  As we considered the "stations of the cross" in the stained glass windows, the organist decided to treat us by playing some hymns.  The notes echoed around the room as a sign of good things to come.

We then stopped by the capital building and wandered the vaulted halls and marbled floors.  Our driver brought the car around to pick us up in the front.

On to the main event! We arrived well in advance of our appointment for afternoon tea at the Grand America Hotel.  After being greeted by a congenial maître d' and a giant arrangement of fresh roses, we explored the hotel ballrooms, bakery, and toy shop.  Eventually, we all agreed that the most memorable was the bathroom, which included a stack of cotton towels instead of paper for the drying of one's hands.

When we sat down for tea, the atmosphere was perfect with a crackling fire and a harpist gently playing classics.  We practiced holding our tea cups the "right" way and discussing our thoughts on the British royal family.  Gwen, adorned with Rachel's string of pearls from Grandma Ashby, was brave and tried every food on the tray, regardless of how unrecognizable it was.

We had a bit of time before our movie, so the next stop was Deseret Industries where we found some tea and saucer sets as souvenirs of the day.  Then on to see "Little Women" where we mostly had the entire theater to ourselves.

We thought that the rest of the night would be relaxing at home, but then my friend texted to say that she was watching a UofU gymnastics meet and had extra tickets!  So we headed over, found a front row parking spot, and watched some amazing gymnastics to finish off the day.

Saturday and Sunday were a bit less eventful, but plenty nice.  These days included an elusive search for full english breakfast, Ruby Snap cookies, visiting friends, a wedding reception with Rachel's circle of friends, and Rachel giving a great talk on Sunday about "creative courage".