Sunday, January 26, 2014

London Bridges Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down….

2 hours after we got on the high speed Eurostar in Paris, we crossed under the English Channel into the land of the English speaking people.
First Double Decker bus ride! Did you know that London's bus system is the Double Decker buses? Silly the things I learned. And no one told me I had a tag sticking out of the front of my scarf! Thomas!!!
Everyone, say hello to Big Ben. Did you know that Big Ben is the clock? Not the tower? Another little nugget learned.
This is so much of typical London in this picture! A Double Decker bus, Big Ben, a little bit of the Parliament building, and the London Eye in the background.
But I actually like this picture better. :) So you get to see them both.
We were able to take the self guided tour of Westminster Abbey. So much history and so many dead people buried inside of those walls. Seriously. So many.
Beautiful green little courtyard in the Abbey.
Love. Just love.
And Big Ben with a little Christmas tree too.
Big Ben and the whole Parliament.
Love this shot of the London Eye.
We were there!
Hello Double Decker.
Fish and Chips with mushy peas!! We tried mushy peas for the first time in Ireland and Thomas loved them (he hates all other peas). Thomas was a happy kid.
Our first full day of London started with the Tower of London. Another fun fact…. The Tower of London is actually a small walled fort not just a tower.
The building at the end of the cobblestone road is where all the crown jewels live.
The London Bridge.
The corner house to the left is where the Queen stays when at the Tower of London.
This is where the chaplain lives next to the church. Oh and there is a Beef Eater in the red. If you ever get a chance to take a tour with the Beef Eater's, do it! So funny!
Yes of course, it's the phone booth picture.
These horses are on duty 24/7.
We found these and loved them. Which one is your favorite?
Out front of the British Library. We saw Tyndale's first manuscript. Beautiful.
The British Museum…. Didn't cost a thing!
The Rosetta Stone.
Easter Island's Basalt statue.
Who doesn't want this necklace?
I think I could live here!
This guy was my favorite.
Thank you for your help Britain. I would have been confused.
Highly recommend seeing the musical Once. 3rd row back. Fantastic.
Thomas was so excited to see this store! And bummed he couldn't buy anything.
The Christmas decorations were the 12 days of Christmas. 
Who wants a London Taxi Cab as a every day car? Count me in!
These were the best window displays ever! This one was at Fortnum & Mason. A high end department store.
View across from Buckingham Palace
And Buckingham Palace.
The parade before the Changing of the Guards.
Kensington Palace
One of the Gardens at the Kensington Palace.
My favorite part of London. Yep. This place.
So many cute little shops!
A Mini and a Porsche. Thomas was in heaven.
A waffle with Chocolate? And then I was in heaven.
We watched a BBC show on Selfridge's. So fun to see the store.
And they had fun window display too!
We may or may not have come home with matching outfits for our future family. May or may not.
We ended out last night with the most delicious India meal. I kinda want it right now. I mean look at the naan!
So many fun experiences!
I definitely loved London, but the 3 days was not enough! My suggestions are these…
Get a Rick Steve's pocket book. I know, I broken record.
Get tickets for the Tower of London Ceremony of the Keys. Beautiful 700 year tradition.
See a musical.
Eat good Indian food.
Bring an umbrella.

We then used 10 modes of transportation and 22 hours to get home. Oh Boy.