Our train arrived in Paris early afternoon and we met our airbnb host at a local hotel and walked to her apartment. She was a wonderful host and the apartment was in a great location, we could see the London Eye from the window and there are plenty of restaurants downstairs and along the Thames. That first afternoon we were interested in eating (fish 'n chips) and exploring the area we were staying in. Monday morning we had a reservation on the Thames Rocket (sightseeing by speedboat). Can you guess who booked this? The hubs of course lol It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the tour guide, Little Mike, and skipper Nick. Little Mike was hilarious! Got some great pictures from the boat.
After the Thames tour we made the short walk from the London Eye to Westminster Abbey. Breathtakingly beautiful! No pictures allowed inside so exterior pictures only.
From Westminster Abbey we visited Winston Churchill's War Rooms which was very interesting. Learned a lot about Churchill and his contribution to the UK and the world. Walking through St. James Park we found ourselves at Buckingham Palace. After seeing Palace of Versailles, Buckingham was a little bit of a letdown, but great history all over the city!
The President of Columbia was visiting the Queen so the mall was colorful and welcoming.
The UK begins their daylight savings time about a week earlier than the US does, so the days were really short. In an attempt to fit it all in we took a taxi to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Which is in fact a working theater with 2-3 shows per day. It was very interesting and even though it wasn't on our list of places to see I am very glad we went. The tour guide here was great as well! It's important to note this is not the original Globe as it was destroyed by fire in 1613. This replica was made possible by contributions from donors all over the world.
We walked "home" along the Thames and it was beautiful. The weather while we were in London was amazing and the cool, clear night walking along the River Thames will be a memory I cherish forever. Remember, it's the little things in life that give the most joy!
Unfortunately we wasted the next morning on a hop on, hop off bus. Because the Queen was entertaining the President of Columbia and London's every day traffic the bus didn't make it far. That afternoon we walked from Parliament through Hyde Park to Kensington Palace. It was the only day in London where the weather was cold and drizzly.
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| The King's Staircase |
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| Dress worn by Princess Diana |
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| Kensington Palace Gardens |
Our last day in London we went to the Tower of London which has a very long and rich history. Plus it's where they store the Crown Jewels (no pictures allowed inside, but it was spectacular!). Our Yeoman Warder or "beefeater" tour guide, Dave, was fantastic; witty and full of stories about the Tower's history.
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| Beefeater Dave |
After the tour we made our way outside to see the Tower Bridge one last time.
Then off to Kings Cross Station to see Platform 9 3/4. Had to visit for my sister-in-law. She may or may not have gotten a Platform 9 3/4 hoodie ;)
For our last night we moved to The Savoy hotel which was an experience of a lifetime. We we upgraded to a deluxe suite which was fit for a king! It was huge! If you followed me on snapchat then you saw the awesomeness of the suite. Thanks to the hub's parents we also got to experience The Lion King across the street at the theater.
We covered so much ground while there, but I know we didn't even scratch the surface of London. I would love to go back!
I hope you enjoyed the pictures from Paris and London and all our travels this year. It's been a lot of fun, but our trips are coming to an end. We have a family trip for Christmas to Jacksonhole, WY which I am really looking forward to.
Until next post...xoxo Becca
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