I made a little video of our trip if you'd like to check it out! I love making these little videos so that we can go back and reminisce later on about how fun it was! If you want to see all of our trip photos you can click HERE.
England Trip - Part Four
Sunday was our big walking day. I think by the time we got back to our hotel that night, Zach's fitbit said that we had walked 12 miles! We woke up bright and early that day and walked a short way to Kensington Garden. Man does that place not disappoint! It was so beautiful and Zach and I could see ourselves spending a whole summer day there. We walked down to the Peter Pan statue which has always been on my bucket list to see. It reminded me of watching Hook with my brother when I was a little girl.
We then took the tube to St. Paul's Cathedral. We didn't go inside, but we walked right past it and I was able to get some nice shots of the exterior.
We then walked across the Thames on Millennium Bridge to see Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. That Tudor style architecture gets me every time. I would love to live in a Tudor style home someday.
Next we made our way to the Tower of London, my favorite spot in the city. I'm a massive nerd when it comes to medieval times and walking around a medieval fortress is just a dream come true. I love imagining what it must have been like to walk around those grounds hundreds of years ago. We had fun checking out all of the armor, swords, and of course the crown jewels.
By this point our feet were hurting and we were very hungry so it was definitely time for lunch. We took the tube over to Oxford Street and ate at Nando's. Nando's had been on my list of places to eat because I've heard so many people talk about it. It was easily the best thing we ate the entire trip. It is a Portuguese style chicken place and just... it was amazing. Our favorite thing was the fried halloumi cheese. It was *chef's kiss* delicious.
We checked out a few shops along Oxford Street like Primark and Boot's and I took a picture of the store Hawes & Curtis since my maiden name is Haws and it's basically the same name haha. We then made our way over to the British Museum. Zach was very excited to see the Rosetta Stone and I loved seeing their Greek collection. They have many pieces from the Parthenon there that are really cool to see. I think our favorite part was the gift shop though! Haha we really realized how much we love gift shops on this trip!
After the museum we took the tube down to Green Park Station and walked up to Buckingham Palace. The leaves were bright orange here and it made my autumn loving heart so happy! We heard someone say that when the flag on top of Buckingham Palace is at full mast that means the queen is home. The flag was indeed at full mast so we did a little wave to the queen and spent a few minutes walking around the square.
At this point our trip was finally coming to an end so we headed back to Paddington and bought a few of our favorite British snacks to bring home. We ate dinner at a little Italian restaurant down the street from our hotel and then called it a day.
The next morning we had an Uber take us to the airport and then we were off on our flight back to the good 'ole USA. It was fun to watch the screens that showed where we were flying because they took us up over Scotland and then over Iceland, Greenland, the Hudson Bay and then down through Canada and the central United States. We were very lucky to be on a pretty empty flight so we were able to stretch out and get comfortable.
We were so happy to see our babies again when we got home and according to my parents they did very well. It definitely was nice to get a little break from reality for a few days! Till next time, England!
England Trip - Part Three
On Saturday morning we took the tube straight to Westminster Station and took some pictures of Big Ben and the London Eye. I can't tell you how disappointed I was that Big Ben was covered up with scaffolding! I'm glad I was able to see the clock tower in all its glory last time, but I felt so bad for Zach that he didn't really get to see it. Oh well.. I guess that means we'll just have to go back! :)
From there we walked over to Westminster Abbey and spent an hour or two walking around the beautiful cathedral. Zach has said that this was one of his favorite parts of the whole trip. He loved seeing all of the burial stones scattered across the floor, particularly Winston Churchill's, who is one of Zach's favorite historical figures. I loved seeing all of the royal tombs for many of the Kings and Queens of England including Queen Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots, and Henry V. Unfortunately, you aren't allowed to take pictures inside the Abbey, but I did get a few shots of the grounds.
Next we had lunch at a fish and chips place called The Laughing Halibut. Last time I was in London I wasn't super impressed with the fish and chips that I had so I made sure to do a little research this time and find a place with good reviews. This place did not disappoint! Zach and I both got a nice piece of cod and, like most British food, it just needed a little bit of extra salt and it was perfect. I really don't understand why Brits under-season their food so much!
We then took a train from Victoria Station down to Lingfield in Surrey to attend a session at the London Temple. Let me tell you... Lingfield is gorgeous! Probably the most beautiful part of England I've ever visited. I wish we could have spent more time there. I'm glad we took a few little trips outside the city. Next time we go I want to spend all of our time exploring the countryside.
The London Temple was a bit simpler inside than some of the newer temples we've visited since it was built back in the 1950's. It was very nice to take a break from all of the touristy stuff and just relax and enjoy the quiet spirit of the temple. It felt a little bit like an American bubble because about half of the people there were American. We even shared a taxi with a man from Utah from the train station and back.
When we got back to London later that evening we had dinner at Market Hall Victoria. It basically was like a trendy, hipster food court. It was super loud and completely the opposite of the temple haha. But it was nice because we were both able to get the kind of food we wanted. Zach got some vegan pad thai and I got a kebab with chicken. So good.
We headed back to the hotel and tried to gear up for our last full day in London, which was a doozy!
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