Adventures in London!

Alright, it's time to tell you a little about London! London was so fun -- it was everything I expected, had like a movie-theme to it. I felt like I was in a movie! There were so many times that I walked across the bridge towards Big Ben and I just said, "Am I really here?!?" Our time was somewhat short in London, but we were able to get everything done and see a great deal!



The first day in London we just walked around and kind of explored. We came across many of the main attractions like Big Ben, the London Eye, Trafalgar's Square, Piccadilly's Circus, and some stores. We just walked around and explored this day and we did a lot of walking! London is kind of spread out, so there is a great deal of walking done.



I was soo excited for fish n' chips in London -- Owen talked them up a great deal. Consequently, our first day out in London was a Friday. Soo, I thought what better time to get fish n' chips than a Firday during Lent in London! We looked and looked for this meal. We came across one and decided to eat there. I was pretty impressed with it... at first. Then I saw they keep the scales on them under the breading --- ewwwww! I still ate them though because it's fish n' chips from London! We left and started exploring again and I felt sick - sooo sick. We ended up heading back to the apartment and ending our first day in London pretty early because of the much anticipated fish n' chips! However, we were able to get some much needed rest.



We decided to take a bus tour the next day. This was pretty interesting. We were able to go all over London in an open-top tour bus. Not going to lie, I always saw them on movies and wanted to do it. haha I was really excited, it was windy and cold up there, but I made Owen sit up there! Our tour guides were really interesting and very humorous. They showed us the major sites of London while informing us and making us laugh at the same time. A good thing about the tour was that you could get off and certain stops and catch a bus back whenever you wanted -- the buses stopped every 15 minutes. This was a really good way to see London; we were able to get acquainted with the city and learn how to get around. We stopped and walked around such things as Buckingham Palace, St. Jame's Park, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and many others! Don't worry - I have TONS of pictures:) There were soo many people by Buckingham Palace it was crazy! However, the Queen was not in residence; the flag that represents her absence was flying. On the other hand, we were informed the Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and some others were currently staying in a hotel that we passed. I was pretty excited and thought every limo was one of theirs. haha We saw some night life in London that night -- pretty expensive!!



Oh, I also had fish and chips that day -- got sick again! It was a deal with our bus tour at Sherlock Holme's Pub. It was a neat little pub, but didn't go over well with me. I didn't get as sick, but a little bit. haha I realized that London's fish n' chips didn't go over well for me. Some good news though, Owen's family bought me some from their favorite place to eat and that worked out much better! Must be the downfall of London! haha

Our ticket was still good until noon the next day because it's vaild for 24 hours. We decided to do the Changing of the Guard tour. This was a walking tour and again, the tour guide was so nice and so funny. He took us to the spot where the guard change begins -- which is at the old residence of Princess Diana and her family. We saw the guards march out, get inspected and the band march out. Once they were ready to take off, we walked along with them but at a little faster pace to get to the spot where they came to. We were able to see them again, but it was hard to see them actually change positions because there were SOOOO many people there. I think all of London was there to see the changing of the guard. However, our tour guide took us to where Prince William and Prince Charles live now and we saw their guards change. We got a bit of a laugh out of it, the one guard went to the wrong side and got yelled at. haha It was a really good tour and was definitetly a good experience. It's a pretty big thing in London. Oh, Prince Charles and Prince William were also out of London:(

The crowd at the Changing of the Guard..



We took part in a St. Patrick's Day celebration on this day. Trafalfar's Square, where they hold a lot of events, was PACKED with people celebrating St. patricks' day. We were told that there is a bigger Irish population in London than there is in Ireland. There was a parade and a big celebration to celebrate this. There were St. Patty's Day bards and souveniers everywhere; I wanted a shirt, but they didn't have my size:/ Owen got a green balloon & a Guinness and he was set! We also took a stroll through Hyde Park on this day -- absolutely gorgeous. So full of life, but peaceful at the same time.




Our last day in London was short. We only had the morning to finish up and we knew saved the London Eye for this day! We got our ticket at the tourist center and didn't wait in any line! It was so neat. I think it's the largest ferris wheel in the world and each capsule thingy can hold 25 people. It took you above London and you can see everything. It was gorgeous; it was definitely a good way to end the London trip!





Oh & I got my picture for Pap!


Overall, I loved London! It was so pretty and full of life. I don't even know how to explain it. We had limited time, but I feel like we did pretty good. Well, that was the London trip in a nutshell!

Rome will be soon:)