Getting ready to leave back to our own country is always a mix (1) sad to leave this new nation that we have made great memories at & (2) almost a touch of relief to get back to normalcy and catch up on sleep. Winding down our time in England we had a few last spots to highlight. 

    Changing of the Guard was recommended to us by some family and very highly rated on TripAdvisor. We had originally planned to go earlier in our stay, but instead we had to be flexible and change up our schedule somewhat. We accidentally underestimated the amount of time it would take to get there, so upon arrival it was already 6 people deep to the gates! Ugh, so we did lots of shuffling, standing on tip-toes and raising our cameras into the air to watch the proceedings. We even saw a guard pass out from the heat (so we assume). The pomp and circumstance was showboating the regal guard, complete with large stallions and a boisterous band. 

    After the main show dwindled, so did the crowds. Since we couldn't see too much of it beforehand, we decided to really get into poking around Buckingham Palace. It was more intricate than I remember the White House being, but still the outside didn't scream 'palace' to me. There was tons of lavishly decorated crests and EIIR (sign for Queen Elizabeth the Second). The neighborhood itself was so pretty! Large parks were on the left and right, in the direct center was a pavillion including a grandiose statue of Queen Victoria. It would make a beautiful view to peek out of each morning!

    We spend out last afternoon lying in St. John Wood's Park, where we picnic'ed, laid in the grass and listened to the final chapter of our Audiobook. It was so nice to find these vast areas with little ice cream vendors and shaded spots, they just seemed to be everywhere! We enjoyed London and all that it had to offer, but we did skip to the plane with dreams of macaroni dancing in our head.

    As a last overview: the food was okay (not like Paris, that's for sure), the plays were *INCREDIBLE*, the people were far less friendly than I expected, the city was very modern and clean, the transportation system was doable (though not superbly convenient, once you add in the multiple metro switches), the outlying land was gorgeous, the shopping was for the rich. That's it about England, over and out!

London Pt. II

    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 ;)