London Calling

I've been an anglophile pretty much as long as I can remember. I've always had a fascination with British culture and history. Visiting the UK has been a dream of mine for quite some time, and a few weeks ago that dream finally became a reality. Lacey and I packed our bags and set out to conquer London!

After our red-eye flight from Washington to London, we settled into our hotel near Gloucester Road in Kensington.

This was our tube (subway) station.

We strolled through nearby Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. I think that first day was the only time it was actually sunny and pleasant.

Queen's Gate - one of the many entrances to Hyde Park.

Kensington Palace - former home of Princess Diana. If you remember the images from after her death, this is where all those flowers were piled up.

Kensington Palace was also the home of Queen Victoria.

We then walked through the Victoria and Albert Museum, which has this beautiful sculpture in the atrium.

Honestly, I don't remember much about the museum because we were pretty much zombies at this point. After a hearty pub dinner, we rode the London Eye to take in views of the city.

The sun was just starting to set and the landmarks of London were becoming illuminated. Seeing Parliament and Big Ben for the first time was really quite thrilling.

After disembarking, we walked across the bridge to get a closer view.

After getting about 11 hours of sleep, we started our first morning at the Tower of London. Having read countless volumes on Tudor history - both fiction and nonfiction - this was the place I was anticipating the most. And it did not disappoint. 

Our first stop was the Crown Jewels. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures inside, but trust me when I say there was a whole lot of bling.

We then took a guided tour from one of the Beefeaters. It was highly entertaining and informative.

The infamous Traitor's Gate. This is where they would bring prisoners by boat from the Thames.

The prisoners that weren't so lucky were executed here on Tower Green. This memorial marks the spot where the chopping block was.

This is the White Tower - the oldest building in the complex. It served as a palace for hundreds of years.

A view of Tower Bridge from inside the fortress.

Lastly, we noticed a camera crew filming while we were there...turns out they were filming an episode of Doctor Who.

Our original plan was to tour Westminster Abbey afterwards, but we spent so much time at the Tower of London that we didn't make it. So we ended up walking around the Abbey that evening, and we did the tour the next day.

This is where William and Kate got married!

We noticed that the flags were flying at half-mast, and we later found out that Margaret Thatcher had died that day. I was hoping we'd be in town for the funeral, but they ended up holding it the following week. RIP, Maggie.

For dinner that night, we went to Damario's. Apparently Princess Diana used to take the boys here for pizza.

The following day we strolled through St. James's Park towards Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard.

That night we checked out Picadilly Circus and the shops on Regent Street.

And we finished out the day with a pint at the Argyle Arms.

The next day we took a train ride out to Hampton Court Palace. Again, due to my fascination with Tudor history, I was very excited about this one. It is one of two existing palaces owned by Henry VIII.

The Base Court (main courtyard)

The Great Banqueting Hall

The Clock Court - if you look closely you can see the intricate carvings on the chimneys. 

The Georgian Wing was very different in architecture and decoration from the rest of the palace.

Lacey was not convinced that this graffiti was authentic.

Hampton Court also boasts the largest vine in the world.

We returned to London in the evening and caught a showing of Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre near Trafalgar Square.

The next morning we hopped back on a train, this time traveling 1.5 hours to Bath in southwest England. Bath was founded by the Romans and then gained popularity as a resort town in the 18th and 19th centuries (as any fan of Jane Austen knows). We stayed at a hotel just off Laura Place!

It was a really neat city and I wish we had had more time to explore it.

The famous Royal Crescent.

Pulteney Bridge - apparently they filmed a scene from Les Miserables here.

The Roman Baths are the main tourist attraction. The extensive complex was built around 75 AD.

The baths were right next to Bath Abbey, which was built in the 15th century.

We ate dinner that night at the historic Sally Lunn House - allegedly the oldest house in Bath.

The next morning, we spent some time relaxing at the spa, then headed back to London. Our second hotel was on Grosvenor Square, right next to the American Embassy.

We were happy to see statues of Ronald Reagan and Dwight D. Eisenhower presiding over the embassy.

We walked around Covent Garden while the rain down-poured, and then a lovely rainbow appeared.

On Saturday morning, we braved the crowds at Portobello Road for their outdoor market. Man, it was an absolute zoo!

Then we quickly hit the highlights at the British Museum

And finally we went to Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral.

This is where Charles and Diana got married!

Our last activity in London was dinner at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese - one of the oldest pubs in the city. It was a favorite haunt of Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, Samuel Johnson, and many other literary legends.

Is there anything better than having a pint in a cozy pub on a rainy night?

Cheers!

Make sure you see the rest of my pictures here!