After a memorable 10 hour flight, we landed in Madrid and paid an obscene amount of Euro for two toothbrushes, because I forgot to put them in our carry on.
Our flight to London was drama free
{they had individual air conditioners}
and even allowed us a power nap before our adventure began.
Matt works with several boys from the UK and was given all sorts of tutorials on the train, as well as proper pubs, restaurants, and markets worth visiting.
We hopped on the train, making sure to 'mind the gap' and I immediately fell in love.
English.
Accented english.
Coupled with the feeling and pace that only a city can produce,
I was sold on London from this moment on.
When we reached our stop, we immediately saw the green logo glowing straight ahead.
Starbucks.
Despite our limited time to reach the hotel and prepare for our theatre evening, we stopped. I asked for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. The response of no and a suggestion for something else was somewhere in an extremely thick British accent. Embarrassed that I couldn't understand the man speaking English to me, I went for a standard , Nonfat Venti Caramel Latte.
I felt pretty good walking around London, my suitcase being pulled in one hand, while sipping my Starbucks Latte with the other.
When we arrived to the hotel we didn't have much time to settle in and get ready before we needed to head out to catch the 7:30 showing of Les Miserables. Somehow I managed to pull myself together. It had to have been an act of pure magic mixed with lack of sleep, accompanied by adrenaline and excitement, but I did it, making my husband rather proud.
We decided to walk to the theatre, taking the time to get acquainted with our location in the city and the sites. I was giddy with excitement. Our hotel was located in close proximity to The London Eye, The Palace of Westminster, and of course Big Ben.
While walking we immediately took note of all the diversity in London. Every culture, religion, sexual orientation, and style is present in the faces of the people surrounding you.
I fell even deeper.
We arrived to the Queen's Theatre in time to enjoy a glass of wine before the show and make a toast to our adventure. The Queen's Theatre is a gorgeous and elaborate venue which originally opened in 1907, but was reconstructed and reopened in 1959 after a German bomb landed on the theatre in 1940.
We loved the show and I was quite pleased that Matt enjoyed it as much as I. He was a big fan of the Jean Valjean/Javert story line. Les Mis opened in London in 1985 and has been performing ever since, making it the second longest running musical in the world.
Realizing just how off schedule were at this point and that we had not eaten, we began scoping out restaurants. We stumbled upon a spot called Byron Proper Hamburgers. With a line out the door at 11 pm, we decided that it was probably worth it.
It totally was.
It was proper, something we had not tasted in a hamburger in the last four months,
and according to Esquire UK, one of the London's top 10 hamburgers.
Did you know that Big Ben is actually the name of the bell located inside the Elizabeth Tower?
|Sunday, September 30|
After a proper nights sleep, we made our way out to do some exploring.
We strolled along the South Bank, with Starbucks, checking out Shakespeare's Globe and views of the River Thames on our way to lunch.
Lunch was at The Anchor, a spot Matt found.
We settled in with our ales and proceeded to enjoy the best fish and chips either one of us has ever had the pleasure of consuming.
After lunch the exploring continued...
St Pauls Cathedral, Royal Courts of Justice, and Convent Garden's market
In the evening we had a scheduled orientation with our tour group, a meet and greet, if you will. We reviewed the details of our tour, discussed baggage, transportation, filled out some paperwork, and collected that fashion forward head set. Afterward we boarded a bus to eat as a group at a pub. Of course the menu item was the traditional fish and chips. Dinner had nothing on our lunch, but we enjoyed getting a know a few of the people we would spend the next two weeks with and explaining our complicated living situation several times over and fielding the typical questions.
Our group was comprised of thirty-five people of all ages and locations:
15 were from Australia {including a family of 6 with 4 children ranging in ages from 6-12}
14 were from the United States {that includes us... see complicated living situation above}
2 were from Canada
2 were from Tasmania
2 were from the Philippines
|Monday, October 1|
Our morning began with a regal tour of London including Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Houses of Parliament and making stops at the Albert Memorial, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace.
I loved hearing all the stories of Royal families, past and present, Princess Di, where Kate the Duchess of Cambridge gets her hair done, and everything that was Royal Wedding.
I also learned about 'Sloane Rangers'... in another life I would like to be a Sloane Ranger.
We had a perfectly rainy London afternoon ahead of us. We took a double decker red bus to the other end of town to enjoy lunch before our tour of the Tower of London.
Tower of London is a historic castle established in 1066. The amount of history that lies inside Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress is pretty incredible.
The first part of our tour was lead by a Yeomen Warder, also known as a Beefeater, a ceremonial guardian for the Tower of London. Their historical knowledge is nothing short of amazing. That combined with their story telling abilities, made it an excellent tour.
Following our Yeomen Warder tour, we were free to explore on our own.
{I took this picture with Grandpa Clet in mind and his traditional flat & elongated penny souvenir}
After we saw the Crown Jewels, we headed over to Tower Bridge.
Then took a river boat cruise down the River Thames.
We finished our day with a walk through Picadilly Circus to do some shopping {hello Topshop} and dinner in Chinatown.
We loved London. The history, the people, the shopping, the city.
I could have spent a week more or found an apartment and moved in for a bit.
Here's some more of London through iPhone pics
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