Westminster Abbey, the Tower of Big Ben

Each city and country we have had the opportunity to visit has been truly enjoyable. However, when the time came for us to leave London, I felt like I would have to be dragged out kicking and screaming. We accomplished such a great deal, yet left so many possible ventures unfulfilled. Can I go back yet?

Saturday was our last full day in London. I do believe we made the absolute most of it.

Our morning got off to an early start. We took the train into London with family, grabbed a sandwich in the station, and made our way to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard ceremony. Although we failed to beat the initial crowd, we scored a great spot behind a line of school children, providing us with a clear view of the palace.

I didn't know the guards had different coats for summer and winter, which naturally makes sense as I'm sure those hats are heat insulating enough. There was some lucky family who was able to observe the changing on the inside of the gates. I want to know who they know and get that view for next time.

Fighting our way though the crowds after the changing of the guard we walked down to Trafalgar Square and over to Westminster to see the abbey, parliament, and Big Ben.

The size of Westminster is overwhelming. Walking down the street, you are absolutely surrounded by the buildings. It was such a cool feeling, albeit intimidating! 

From London we took the train out to meet a cousin and see her neighborhood. This turned into a tour of her beautiful apartment, tea, and an outing to a restaurant where we had a four hour lunch and I had half a bottle of wine. Bloody brilliant.

We returned downtown to see London from the London Eye at night. I detest heights, so while I truly wanted to do it, I was nervous of my reaction. I am glad to report the hovering high above the city in an enclosed glass case did not make me apprehensive in the slightest. My only complaint, to get on and off the Eye, it does not stop. You literally walk on and walk off. My very accident prone self was not a fan of that part! We finished the evening with more drinks. I had a French martini, actually I had two, which is a testament to how much I enjoyed the first one.

London so far has provided the largest amount of inspiration for me. I just loved the fusion of immaculately preserved history and new age design and ideas. The houses in Surrey, London, and everywhere else along the way were picturesque and exactly what I had hoped. London still upholds a number of their traditions, the changing of the guard and the key ceremony at the Tower to name a couple. While it may be somewhat for the sake of tourism, I consider it to be such a lovely element in their culture. Culture and English accents? Sign me up for London any day of the week.

In London?!

I do hope you are catching on to, and enjoying, my Friends inspired London titles.

On day two of our London vacation, we took the train downtown to the Tower of London. We just missed the poppies which had filled the moat surrounding the Tower in honor of Remembrance Day, but we were lucky to have a sunny, clear day to enjoy.

As I mentioned earlier, we watched a film on the Tower of London. I will always find out more about each site after we return home, but having somewhat of a background on the both fascinating and terrible history of the Tower was helpful. First of all, the gates actually enclose a small community of guards and their families. Their cars and homes could be seen when overlooking the walls at certain points. Secondly, approaching such a large structure that has withstood not only the trials and tribulations of battle, but also centuries of sightseeing makes you grateful to have such an extraordinary place so well preserved. Lastly, in the film they mentioned the final execution to take place on that location occurred during World War II. The chair from this execution was on display in the White Tower. Something like a chair generally may not have captured my attention, but now I not only noticed it, but got serious chills knowing the significance it held.

There is one major advantage to traveling in the late fall, the crowds are still present yet substantially smaller than times we would normally be able to schedule vacations. The Crown Jewels exhibit was awe inspiring The jewels themselves were surreal, but the display itself was well put together with a history of royalty past and a video of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation back in 1953.

Next to the Tower of London was Tower Bridge. The mechanics of the bridge are still fully operational and it can be raised, and is regularly raised, to let ships pass through. Recently, a glass walkway was installed over the top of the bridge, a tourist attraction similar to the Sears Tower glass box back in Chicago. I don't do glass structures above extreme heights and was satisfied with walking across the bridge and taking in the spectacular elements of the iconic bridge.

In Butler's Wharf, just on the other side of the Thames River, we grabbed a late lunch. Tom needed to get his fish and chip fix (when in London!) and I was in need of a drink after such a busy morning! I opted for some sort of healthier fish meal and had a British Royale cocktail In it was apple juice, champagne, liquor, and a berry syrup. I don't particularly care for apple juice, but it was amazing.

Tower Bridge at night

Walking along the Thames, we made our way to St. Paul's Cathedral. We just missed getting inside by mere minutes, but we walked around the grounds and took in the grand silhouette against the night sky.

Thanksgiving, London Style

After spending our Thanksgiving day touring Hampton Court Palace, we met up with family and took the train to downtown London. We arrived at Waterloo station and took a scenic walk along the river to dinner. This allowed me my first true glimpse of marvelous icons, old and new.

London Eye

We were meeting eight other family members at the American style restaurant, Joe Allen, for Thanksgiving dinner. Obviously, other countries do not typically celebrate our wonderful American holiday of feasting on turkey and pumpkin, but this restaurant was an exception.

Clam chowder, steak, and (not pictured) chocolate cake. All devoured while 

sitting next to the American flag.

A three course menu was offered with three options for each course. One option was typical Thanksgiving food (cornbread, turkey, and pumpkin pie were all offered), while the other two were more main stream. I had clam chowder with corn bread, steak, and a flourless chocolate cake. The corn bread was rather dry, but the rest of my meal was amazing. With our main course came sides of brussel sprouts, potatoes, and what I thought were sweet potato fries. They turned out to be parsnips and were delicious. Not unlike a typical Thanksgiving meal, I came away from the table completely stuffed and content.

I give our relatives major props for thinking to take us to a holiday dinner while being so far away from our families back home. While we weren't necessarily homesick, spending the evening at a big dinner with loved ones helped to create a really special memory for both of us. Maybe next year we will bring our London style menu to the Thanksgiving table with some clam chowder, steak, and a bold American flag hanging in the background!

London, Baby!

As anticlimactic as it may sound, my ultimate dream vacation has always been London. Theoretically it lacks the exotic allure of a far off foreign land where you must learn a new language and immerse yourself in an unusual culture. London, however, has been at the tip top of my must see list before we even left for Europe.

Being so far away from home in the holiday season can be difficult, so for the Thanksgiving holiday we managed to find solace in our amazing hosts and tour guides to the city, as Tom has a good deal of family living in London's surrounding neighborhoods. As we were boarding our flight the night before Thanksgiving, Tom asked me what I was most excited about on our visit. My answer, and undeniable first thought, was "They speak English there!". Oh how I miss being able to walk into a store and converse comfortably with anyone inside. 

Obviously, we didn't make the flight simply to enjoy some proper English with an endearing British accent. To prepare we watched a documentary on the Tower of London and I did my research on everything Kate Middleton. We were ready for an adventure filled time. 

Turkey day began with a walk along the Thames to Hampton Court Palace. We began with a walk through the surrounding gardens, the vast amount of separate, perfectly manicured and maintained gardens was overwhelming. 

This castle is primarily associated with Henry VIII and his numerous wives in the 1400's. Centuries after his reign ended, new construction began, creating the back apartments, and William III and Mary II moved in circa 1689. Intricate stone and wood workings are incorporated throughout the inside and outside, many with monograms and family symbols. Above is a W and an M intertwined for William and Mary.

While walking through the gardens, a magnificent view of the palace roof and its numerous chimneys can be seen. Each chimney varies from the next. They were all created by different craftsmen and each one wanted to leave their own unique touch.

Henry VIII's astronomical clock is still preserved in the tower. It not only lists the time, but the month, day, position of the sun, astronomical sign, day of the year, moon phases, age of the moon in days, and hour when the moon crosses the Mediterranean, multi-functional to say the least! The beauty and integrity of each layer is mind boggling, as it was created in the 1500's and only recently restored.

We spent the entire afternoon touring the palace. An audio guide was provided and gave a great deal of information regarding the use and time period of each section and room. The weather was chilly, but we warmed up with steak pies in the cafeteria located on the grounds. 

Kate Middleton's dress was made just beyond these walls.

I genuinely did not know much about Hampton Court Palace until our visit. Since our return, I have watched nearly every YouTube video and documentary I could find on both the palace and each of the inhabitants. The history is fascinating, plus it has all of the makings of a top novel: death, love, divorce, promiscuity, and power struggles. Factual and enticing stuff.