January 2, 2011
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London, Giddy London
(No, I didn’t just go to London. This is a much needed post about the last place we stopped for our honeymoon back in October. Eh, better late than never.)
When we touched down in Europe, I told the Architect that I wanted to make sure that we didn’t come back from vacation more tired than we were when we left. He agreed and we had a wonderfully relaxing vacation in Italy where we took naps everyday and spent many hours sipping on cappuccinos and eating gelato. When we got to London, our last and final stop, that went out the window. I am a total Anglophile and as I had never been to London before, I wanted to see everything! I dragged my poor, dearest husband hither and yon through the streets of London in order to attempt to cover my very long list of sights to see (I definitely need another trip back to London).
We took a tour of Westminster Abbey. It was very cool. I didn’t realize how many people were actually buried in the church.
We took a nighttime walk down the Thames in the rain. It was so cool to see Big Ben in person!
Our hotel was just down the street from Buckingham Palace. We were fortunate enough to be there on a day where they did the changing of the guard.
I believe at this point, the changing of the guard is pretty ceremonial but I couldn’t believe how long the ceremony took. It was way cool though!
I really liked Trafalgar Square! It was huge!
Of course we both had to get our pictures taken in the red phone booths.
They were also way cool.Here’s a list of things we did that I didn’t really get pictures of:
- Saw Les Miserables in the West End
- Went to the British Museum
- Went to the Tate Modern (that building is amazing)
- Saw Saint Paul’s (where Princess Diana got married)
- Went to the Tower of London
- Ate amazing Indian food
- Decided pub food is not for me
Comments (39)
What’s wrong with the pub food?
This kind of blog is -aaaaalmost- enough to make me consider traveling overseas. By plane. Which is a large, heavy metal object. Not light, like a bird.
Yeah, maybe someday.
You two are cute. Red phone booth? Or Tardis?
GAH!!!!!! I LOVE LONDON SOOOO MUCH!!!
looks like you guys had a great time.
-those phone booths are really gross inside. lol. and most people don’t seem to realize that. lol.
-It’s too bad you didn’t get a chance to go to the Victoria and Albert museum. I loved that one. I used to walk to it from my dorm. it was great cuz it was next to a couple of other museums.
did you go to harrods?
@Roadlesstaken - it’s repulsive.
So glad you enjoyed our Capital City Meg and got some pics for mementos. Thanks for sharing them. I’m at the opposite end of the country and haven’t seen London for many years.
London is great! I like your photos!
London. Looks like you had a blast. Did you have tea?
I loved London. I went twice and both times got screwed out of seeing the changing of the guard. I did see the changing of the horse guard which was pretty cool.
LOVE pub food, but it does depend on the pub. next time, don’t forget the V&A and the science museum. if memory serves, knightsbridge tube station, just down the street from Harrod’s, but i could be wrong. “The Fox and Grapes” is a great pub across from the V&A – half a roast chicken that will melt in your mouth! i would love to see the British Museum again.
When was this?! Oh, now I feel like I missed a golden opportunity. Phooey.
I so want to go to England. I’d even like to live there.
I would like to visit England one day. That would be a huge trip for me at this point. Stll sounds like you both had a lot of fun.
Oh, a Smiths reference in the title. Wonderful! =D London is a very enjoyable city and somewhere I’d like to make a return visit to. Thanks for sharing these pictures with us.
The last time I went to London was in 1993! We saw the changing of the guards too. Your pics brought back sweet memories.
What a wodnerful honeymoon you had and TY for sharing these photos.
I went back when I was in 8th grade with a school trip. I really want to go back. We were way too rushed.
*jealous*
I think it was good idea to take it easy on your vacation and spend time relaxing. Everytime I see pictures of London, I think of all the history in that city.
p.s. I think you’ll have to take one of those red phone booth home with you next time you visit London.
oh i love england too. i went in aug 09. i wish i could’ve gone this winter but heard the weather was really bad & couldn’t leave except during the bad time. i’m definitely going back again!!
I was in London once and did all the things in your photos, too. Tower of London was my favorite — fascinating and creepy at the same time!
@Roadlesstaken - It’s so flippin’ greasy. I had fish and chips. It made me sick later in the evening.
@Automaton_Emotion - Oh, it’s totally worth it to actually experience the place. And Tardis is a Doctor Who reference, no? I’ve never seen that show before.
@TheSecretLifeOfPandas - Most phone booths are gross, me thinks. I really wanted a picture with one though. I anti-bacterial soaped my hands right after
Ooo, and we did go to Harrods. That store was pretty overwhelming!
@Chatamanda - It’s a fantastic place. I really enjoyed your capital!
@nattata - Thank you!
@bravegirl1986 - I only had tea in the hotel room. Next time, I really want to find someplace to do a full afternoon tea. I’ve done that a few times here in the States and have loved it.
@squeakysoul - Ooo, that would have been a cool ceremony to see as well!
@travelerblue - There are so many museums there that we didn’t get to see. The Architect pushed for both the British Museum and the Tate Modern over the others because of the cool architecture. I already warned him that we’re just going to have to go on a trip dedicated solely to London or perhaps England, Ireland, and Scotland.
@PeriwinkleAdonis - Unfortunately we were there only for 3 days in early October. There will be a next time though (hopefully a longer next time) and I would love to meet up with you!
@i_was_there_and_back_again - I could see myself living there definitely. It’s quite expensive unfortunately.
@christao408 - LOL, I wasn’t sure anyone was going to get that.
I am so glad you had such a wonderful trip! Memories for life…
@der_lila_Stern - Ooo, I’d love to go to Germany someday as well!
@icepearlz - @grannyinboxers - Glad you enjoyed them!
@JoyousMemoriesPhoto - Yeah, there’s so much to see there!
@ElusiveWords - I’m a huge history buff so I felt right at home.
@scorpio_81 - Yeah, I’m not sure when the next time I’ll get to go over there will be.
@turningreen - I loved the Tower of London too but I agree with you; there was definitely an air of creepiness there.
@endlesssummer128 - @mercurialmusic - It was way fantastic!
After the sweetnesss of Italia ,the weather of Englad !!! But what a history in London!
Happy New Year
Love
Michel
BTW In my previous post you can see a video of a choir singing in St Paul ‘ s Cathedral.
@TheCheshireGrins - How is that possible?
Yes, there’s a lot of good Indian food and bad pub food out there. Trafalgar Square has a special place in my heart because I saw drunken, naked people dancing in the fountain after England beat Germany in some big football game 10.5 years ago. Next time, you must visit Hampstead Heath (north of town).
Im not a xaga user but I saw the title and I couldt avoid to read the whole post. I’ve been in london too, such a nice city! I have a lot of sweets memories from it.. I hope to live in london some day!
Happy new year from Argentina! xo.
Have they changed the schedule of the changing of the guards? It used to take place every day at 10 or 11 in the morning. I am glad you did all the wonderful things that you have described. Next time you go, you have to spend a week or more and go to the Covent Garden to watch a play, see the Chelsea flower show if that’s the season, drive or take the train to Oxford and walk along the country roads and see the place of learning. I think I could just close my eyes and see you doing this Meg.
Great shots. When I saw the red phone booth, I immediately thought of Dr. Who, haha. =)
@fauquet - I’m a huge history buff so I definitely appreciated everything that we saw.
@BoureeMusique - I have so many places in the surrounding area of London that I really want to visit!
@ZSA_MD - Now, the changing of the guard is apparently only held every other day.
@theramblingman - Thanks for stopping by!
@SoullFire - Another commenter mentioned that. I’ve never seen Dr. Who. I should probably try to watch it!
I’m glad you and the Architect had a great time in London!
I completely understand getting sick on Fish and Chips – when we lived we almost never ate fish and chips because my Dad would get sick afterward (he thought it had something to do with the oil it was prepared in…). If you ever go back and try Pub Food again, I would recommend the Ploughman’s Lunch. It’s a really simple lunch – it’s usually French Bread, a Hunk of Cheese, Salad and a Pickled Vegetable.
Les Miserables is still one of the best Musicals I saw when I was living there…
If you liked the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, you might want to check out the Imperial War Museum as well. It chronicles British Military History.
Ooh, and before I forget, if you two go visit again, some other places to check out:
- Greenwich
- Covent Garden
- Parliament (I think that they may let you into the visitors gallery of the House of Commons while it is in session, and you can watch them debate – It is really interesting to watch, especially when comparing it to Congress…)
@Redshirte -
-Ooo, the ploughman’s lunch actually sounds really good. I’m really a simple kind of gal.
- We definitely want to go to the war museum whenever we make it back there.
- I actually enjoy watching the House of Commons. CSPAN shows it sometimes (yes, I’m a big dork and actually enjoy the occasional CSPAN watching).
Fab pics of you and the Architect! Smallest bloody gelato stands I ever did see. The Abbey looks like the church in “Four Weddings and Funeral”. –BTB