London.

My huge backpack that kept me in shape while we were in Europe!

The second (and favorite) stop on our trip was London!  Our London experience got off to a rough start when our flight from NYC was delayed 4 hours, changing our arrival time to 1am.  Our late arrival meant the train from the airport in to town had stopped running, forcing us to take a cab.  This wouldn't have been a big deal except the cab fare from Heathrow to our hotel at 1am cost us $130!  It still makes me cringe.  Despite the rough start, London was amazing, everything I had hoped it would be and more.

We stayed at the very cute, Jesmond Dene Hotel near King's Cross Station.  Our hotel room was the tiniest hotel room I've ever stayed in, but the service and the daily traditional English breakfast made up for the size.

On day one we visited the British Museum where we saw items from all over the world, including the Rosetta Stone and Cleopatra's mummy.  In the afternoon we took the Original London Sightseeing Bus around the city hopping off and on at Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and St. Paul's cathedral.  It was so much fun seeing all the places I have seen a hundred times in books and movies in person for the first time.



Buckingham Palace



The city was very clean and the people were friendly.  But, we were most impressed with London's public transportation, "the tube" (or subway).  The tube goes all over the city, and was impressively clean.  Coming from New York, we found the tube much easier to navigate and we felt safe even late at night.

The food in London was also a high point for us.  Our first dinner was at Porter's, a pub where we enjoyed fish & chips and shepherd's pie.  Gary also tried some of their local beer.  For lunch we enjoyed several different cafes.  Our only gripe would be the lack of ice in our drinks.  We quickly learned ice in Europe is hard to come by.

On our second day we visited the Tower of London.  Having read "The Other Boleyn Girl", I was particularly excited to see the place where Queen Anne Boleyn was beheaded.  The tower also houses all of the crown jewels.  I was surprised to see how many different crowns they had, including the coronation crown worn by every past King or Queen at their coronation ceremony.

Our afternoon on the second day was spent shopping.  I most enjoyed the European fashion at Top Shop and Primark, even picking up a few items for myself.  And you can't go to London without a trip to Harrods.  I have never seen a department store quite like this one.  It even puts the Macy's in New York to shame.  Best of all they have a tea room on the top floor, where we partook in afternoon tea!

Dinner our second night was at the Bleeding Heart's Tavern restaurant. It was very quiet and romantic.  Restaurants in Europe have a different idea of service than restaurants in the US.  Instead of checking on you every few minutes and asking if you are ready for your check, they bring you your food, and let you sit and relax until you ask for the check.  When you come to a restaurant in Europe, your table is yours for as long as you would like.

Day three started with an audio guided tour of Westminster Abby.  We saw the stage where every king and queen of England were coronated, Princess Diana's funeral took place, and where Will and Kate would stand and say their vows just two weeks later.  Westminster houses the tombs of around 3,000 people, including Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scotts, Issac Newton and Charles Darwin.  I had no idea the cathedrals in Europe were also burial grounds.

We couldn't resist taking a ride on the London Eye, where we got some beautiful views of the city. 

Our final stop in London was the Prince Edward Theater where we saw the London cast of Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  I can't say enough good things about this show! The story is interesting and the music is amazing.  We were singing the songs the whole trip. 

London still had so much more to offer, we did a ton and still only scraped the surface.  I guess that means we'll need to make a return trip some day...