Snow.

Heathrow cancelled almost 400 flights, trains were delayed, and panic ensued this weekend, as London was crippled by a fierce snowstorm that brought the city its first snow this year.

Now, based on the chaos it caused, you might be picturing something like this:

  

Notice that the ground floor apartments are barely visible...

But you would be wrong. That picture is the entrance to my apartment complex in Illinois after the Snowpocalypse that hit our area and surrounding states a couple of years ago. We got a foot of snow in one afternoon, and I still went to work the next day.

No, this was the snowfall that wreaked havoc throughout London over the weekend:

A whopping several inches. Enough snow to make a footprint, and yet somehow enough to cause Europe’s busiest airport to grind to a halt.

Still, snow does make London look particularly picturesque. My parents were in town, and we decided to brave the “blizzard” and play tourist while the rest of the city hid indoors. 

I’m glad we did, because this is what we saw:

Isn't it lovely? It certainly makes winter feel worthwhile.

 

Snow makes me feel (and act) like a 5-year-old.

It snowed yesterday.

 

We didn't get much -- maybe just an inch or two -- but it was enough for a snowball fight, and an epic one at that. Our group was out there for an hour and a half. On several occasions, we completely exhausted our snow supply and had to keep moving farther down the street in search of more ammunition. And I learned a very important lesson: I have terrible aim. Unfortunately, several of the guys didn't. I've got the bruises to prove it. 

Occasionally, a random stranger would have the misfortune of needing to pass right though our war zone, at which point someone would yell, "Civilian! Cease fire!" And whenever we saw headlights, we'd of course call our, "Car!" Once it passed, it was game on. It reminded me of when all the neighborhood kids would get together to play hockey or soccer in the street.

Good times.

(Before.)

(After.)

By the time we called it quits and headed back inside, we were soaked and shivering, and pretty much looked a mess. 

 Which, of course, is the sign of a great snowball fight.