The London Eye, ever heard of it? It's essentially a ferris wheel made up of capsules that allow you to walk around in it while moving to see the expanse of London. It was super cool! We booked tickets for the early morning to bypass the crowds, from the suggestion of the trusty TripAdvisor. We had so much fun watching all of the city, it was great that it was 30 minutes worth of watching too! 

    "London Bridge is falling down, falling down." Remember that nursery song? Well I can bet y'all didn't know how surprised we were to hear that the true London Bridge is just some regular old bridge, but the fancy, mesmerizing one is called Tower Bridge. That bridge- I've never, ever seen one that looked better. It was a Victorian blue and grey- with gorgeous steeples and regal English flags flying. 

    Graham was super stoked to visit the British Museum! Europe has the biggest museums, I just don't know if America can compare. We walked through each of the exhibits- my favorites included the Native America of the USA's (go figure) and an incredible showcase of the number of pills that was during an average life of 2 humans. Graham, as always, loved the Egyptian and African artwork. We also witnessed the original Rosetta Stone! I'm serious, I need to write an bucketlist to physically check this stuff off because it was mighty cool.

    The Beatles released an album cover with them walking across Abbey Road that became incredibly famous.Well while in London, it's kind of a staple, right? We jumped off at the St. John's Wood Station and made a beeline to the crosswalk. Let me tell you- it wasn't an easy feat. This busy road had a flow of traffic, a very short amount of time to cross and plenty of tourists with the same quest as ours. We were there for about 45 minutes trying to get one shot! By the end of it, I was just pleased that we had taken it and could leave, ha. 

    Possibly one of the best perks about London was the frequenting the West End for phenomenal plays. In High School I worked with a few little productions we out on and boy, it is so much work! I can really appreciate all that goes into into making it an incredible show and these were some of the best I'd seen. We made 2 stops during our stay, the first being The Woman in Black & the second being Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. TWB was freaky, had an intimate setting and was overall fantastic! I was looking over my shoulder the entire way back to our apartment. CCF was really sweet too It was more aligned than that movie as opposed to the the 1971 one. The actor of Willy Wonka was so talented though, at the tail end when Pure Imagination was playing while they were on the Wonkavator I was brought to tears again! Such a delight. 

    Visiting downtown London at night was much cleaner and nicer than Paris. In the heart of France there are hoards of people who try their hardest to sell their goods- often keychains, little statues of the Eiffel Tower and/or small toys. Londoners didn't have any wanna-be entrepreneurs, probably illegal but I never asked, instead there were steady streams of tourists and street performers. We sat on the banks of the Thames River (Pronounced like Tims! You'd think since they're the original English- speakers they could go actually go by the rules of the language.) and simply enjoyed seeing Big Ben, the Eye and the water rushing underneath.

London Pt. I

    As we left on the Eurostar heading to our last destination, London. Graham and I were curious to see how it would go, this was our first international vacation where the main language was our own. London was... interesting. Paris was my true destination, so I felt a little meh about the town from the get- go. But I decided to try to give it a fair chance, to see what it would deliver.
    The architecture of a city really does tell you a great deal about the city. Our bus brought us through cobblestone streets and past neighborhoods filled with squat brick homes, identical. There were also a great about of fields with greenery and wild flowers. Occasionally we would pass small castles, just on the outskirts of the city. It's an old city, yet right in the heart of it there is a newness about it. Paris' lack of sky scrapers and new age buildings was the opposite of downtown London. Everything was LARGE with twinkling lights around it all. Billboards for new plays, swanky restaurants and tourist attractions abounded. I imagine it's closely related to New York, New York.
    The first morning there we went to several big destinations: Harry Potter Studio Tour, King's Cross (also HP related), Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. The Studio Tour was *wonderful* and I soaked up all of the information. Graham and I were listening to the series together via audiobooks, so everything was fresh in our minds. The Great Hall, wax figurines and wands- the details made me realize how I formed my fascination with it as a 3rd grader. We even swigged butterbeer, a butterscotch beverage found in the books (alliteration ya'll), while perusing the outer structures. Graham poked so much fun at me, but a few times during our trip I kept getting overwhelmed by the excitement of it and would cry, this self guided tour was one of those times.
    And of course, Big Ben and Westminster were iconic! Big Ben is technically just the clock tower on the enormous Parliament building, so locals were wondering why we weren't calling it the true name; one of many times this happened while there. We stood outside for a long time snapping pictures while the double-decker buses passes us by. Sometimes we would even ask the police with helmets, that reminded us of old timey constables, for help. Yep, it felt like England.
     On the second day we hit up the Tower of London. As a huge monarchy nerd, I'd read so many books about those who were hauled off into here, it was fascinating to see in real life. First off, it's eerie as heck! While walking, you can see where a large moat used to be, the thickness of the fortress and the morbid crosses that would line the exterior of place- I'm sure it would strike fear into anyone who was forced to enter. Second, we had a very interesting tour by the 'Beefeaters.' These men, more accurately called Yeomen, are old veterans who live inside the Tower apartments and stand as guards& tour guides while there. Ours was sporty and loud, who told some gruesome information while I had to cover my ears. He lightened the mood throughout our time together by telling some very good jokes (though America was the butt of one of those while Graham and I's patriotism took offence). Third, we saw the Crown Jewels! Unfortunately you can't take photos, but there were some beautiful items, including: large gems, the crowns of multiple royals, completely encrusted swords and an ornate gold punch bowl the size of a small bath tub. Yet again, we wondered how many Englishmen starved while the monarchy was puffed up with these glorious riches. I'd be lying if I didn't say we weren't critical for a good chunk of our time across the pond ;)

Versailles

    Versailles. Versailles! What a beautifully ornate place. Graham always lets me make all the plans, and he is my little tag-along pal. We caught a train leaving the heart of Paris to the visit the Palace of Versailles on the outskirts of the capital. This, for all of my readers who may not know much French Monarchy info, was home to royals like Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This was a large sprawling landscape consisting of the Palace, the gardens, the Grand Trianon, the Petite Trianon, and, within the Palace, the Hall of Mirrors!

     We have been through so many mansions, cathedrals and monuments now; it's fun to compare and contrast throughout them. Yet again Europe showed that they have an affinity for painted ceilings. There was so much gold leaf paint throughout the Palace, adding that touch of elegance. The chandeliers and mirrors created an aurora around the Hall of Mirrors allowed for another perfect moment in France  Funfact: it took us about 30 minutes to get a photo as good as the one above. It was crawling with tourists and it was practically impossible to get everything in the landscape in one photograph.

    The sheer amount of distance in the Palace's grounds is overwhelming! I knew it would be grand but I didn't really have an understanding of how spread out it would be. As soon as we finished touring the inside we were ready to explore the remaining parts. Of course, like every day we were in France, around 2pm the rain would fall. We were prepared with our raincoats, but I was pretty disappointed that we couldn't view the grounds, with the mystical melodies chiming in from a performance on the grounds trickling in, as detailed as I wanted to. (And I was wearing new flats that rubbed my skin off my foot, so I was walking like an imbecile for the bits we could see.) We trudged onward, buying a trolley ticket to take us to each of the sprawling locations. 

    WOW wish I had the same gardeners the Palace has (Lonnie & Annette- if you're reading this, you also wish you had them). Everything was so well groomed. The intricacy! The ornateness! The showstopping glory of the greenery and water! We were privy to see a great number of fountains, flowers, and lakes. Doesn't water always seem to make a place even more heavenly? Everywhere was bright with colored trees and bushes; walking by provided a sweet scent. There were many paths between all of the aforementioned places. We would pick a beaten road and stroll along, just following it into the gardens. 

    The Petite Trianon was my most favorite; we had a really cool experience there, too. While walking in the gardens it began to rain again (it was very on and off). We ran for shelter under a very large tree that was on the banks of a lake, and on the other side of the lake were vintage cottages and a large windmill. We were hanging out and enjoying the day- for it wasn't a heavy downpour and we were staying rather dry- just repeating "France, can you believe we're here? France!" When we saw a gorgeous swan. He swam right next to the bank, where Graham would reach out to touch him whilst I recorded. The swan, the love of my life, the lake, the windmill, the cottages, France- all in one spot. Picturesque.

    That experience was the epitome of France- beautiful and awe inspiring. We left no food untouched or large monument unseen. It was a grand old time. I am determined to revisit to this kind, historic country again one day!