BEST TRIP EVER
How many years have I wanted to go to England? Well it finally happened and I am late getting this post up but I have a sore throat today and can't sleep so I will post some highlights of my trip here.
Okay well first of all, I completely regret not saving my money better in the past to be able to travel. Especially to England. I fell in love with London almost immediately. I want to move there, live there, die there. I loved it. I had a great trip and it is hands down the best vacation I have had. It was the first spring break trip I had in a number of years and by that I mean at least ten or more.
I flew out on Friday night with a layover in Qatar. I am grateful to the makers of Ambien who helped me get through my long flight. I arrived around noon the next day and easily found my hotel. I was pulling my giant suitcase up the few steps and this nice man that I didn't even look at since I was pulling up my luggage, came over and said, "Here let me help you with that." And I said, "Oh thank you so much." And once we got the bag up the steps I looked and saw it was my fabulous friend Josef who had come down from Norway to hang out with me in London for a couple of days. I was gross from flying for an entire day but I hugged him anyway. I got settled in to my tiny room and he took off so I could get cleaned up and ready and then a bit later we hit the town. We had fancy dinner at Simpsons on The Strand next to the Savoy and then went to the show The 39 steps. It was a fun evening and we deserved a fancy meal and a great show and that is what we got!
Next day I met Josef and we attended church briefly then headed to Kensington Park. We walked around the area and then headed back to the hotel so I could change into better clothes for exploring. London was such an easy place to navigate for which I was totally grateful. We saw an art exhibit that his mother and brother were a part of and then we headed out towards the Tower Bridge and walked along the river Thames. This was great because it helped me get a much better layout of the city. The whole time I am walking around I am just taking in the entire feeling of London which I loved. I was so happy just being there. Josef and I went to a concert at the globe that evening. It was in this fantastic small theater with candle lights. The performer was this woman from Spain who is well -known for singing traditional Flamenco music. She was great and it was an enjoyable show.
Prince Albert Memorial
Kensington Gardens Princess Diana Memorial
Royal Albert Hall
Josef said I look really dorky in this photo. And yes, I do. But it was fun to take.
How could I not take this pic? It was a must.
Tower Bridge
The London Bridge
We randomly found this old church. It was quite pretty. It looks as if part of it was destroyed during the bombings.
View of St. Paul's Cathedral across the river
The Globe
Night view across the river
The London Eye. I did not go on the Eye. I think this is one of those things that is a bit overrated.
Night View of Big Ben.
The next morning I headed to St. Paul's. Because I hearted Mary Poppins as a child, I was super looking forward to going. Well and not just because of Mary Poppins but also because I really like visiting old churches. They don't make them like they used to and I am always so impressed with the designs and details. The Cathedral was lovely although a bit smaller than what I expected. I climbed to the top and took in the magnificent view from the Whispering Gallery and then continued on up to the dome. The view was great.
I headed back to the hotel and was able to say goodbye to Josef. After that it was off to Waterloo station to catch the train to Salisbury. I went to meet my friend's mother at the station who was super amazing and kind. Her name is Jaqui and she and her husband Jim were so super kind and fabulous. They took me to Salisbury Cathedral, drove by Stonehenge (cannot get in without pre-purchased tix bought online), drove by Sting's house, Saw a lot of the countryside which was so beautiful, Wells Cathedral, the gorge, and Bath. It was great to be in the country for a couple of days. I couldn't have asked for nicer hosts. I loved the hills, the stone walls, Bath was beautiful. I went to the Jane Austen Center and saw the Royal Crescent. We ate lunch at the pump room located above The Roman Baths and the Abbey was right next door. I also found Anthropologie and bought two dresses. :)
Salisbury Cathedral
Sting's House
Cute cottage that I had to try to take a pic of from the street
Stonehenge from a distance
Spinal Tap Stonehenge
Wells Cathedral
The famous Wells Cathedral Clock
The Gorge
Goats in the Gorge
Jane Austen House - WOOHOO!
Hello my husband
Bath Abbey
My new friends - Jaqui and Jim
Roman Baths
Park
The Royal Crescent
I ended my trip in the country with a visit to Highclere Castle grounds. The grounds were closed to the public but there were public walking paths. The problem was that the signs for the public paths were next to the signs saying the grounds were closed so it was very confusing. I was walking down what I thought was the public walking path only to get stopped by a man on a tractor who did not care that I was confused. So I walked back to the car and we left. I did get some pics of the property from a distance. There were a number of trucks and such parked around the castle. I had read they were finishing shooting of Downton Abbey so perhaps that was happening. It was a beautiful property. I would be nice to go back at a later time when I can actually get closer and see more.
Back to London I went and got checked into hotel #2 which I LOVED. I headed over to The Tower of London which was amazing and fascinating. I loved the Crown Jewels and the history of the place was just so interesting.
Next I went back to The Globe. I learned a bunch of interesting info. The original globe was located 300 meters away. This is a replica based on what experts think it may have looked liked and it was built in the early 90's so it is fairly new. On the tour I met a hot guy from Amsterdam who was really nice and I was going to be gutsy and invite him to dinner but he had to catch a flight back. I believe him because he had his small carry on with him. The man in the photo below was the tour guide and not the hot Dutch man.
I walked back across and made my way to Picadilly and decided to go to a show. I saw The Commitments which was super fun!
Next morning - Buckingham Palace was first. There were many important people being dropped off at the palace and I found it later it was because The Queen was knighting people that day.
I walked through St James Park. Lovely, lovely.
I got back to Trafalgar Sq and went to the National Gallery. I got to see VanGogh's Sunflowers as well as a number of other famous works.
The English National Opera House
The Royal Opera House. No tours were available due to a dress rehearsal. :(
Harrods - the market was so fun!
Afternoon Tea with my friend Lisa at Fortnum and Mason. I learned that High Tea is for the lower class and Afternoon Tea is for the snobby upper class so of course we had to have Afternoon Tea. Can't be associating with the peasants.
I went to The Handel House Museum (forgot to take a pic) and then headed up Regent Street towards Picadilly again. I bought a ticket to see Billy Elliot.
Last day was a visit to Kensington Palace.
I have a TON of pics that I took and that I of course could not post. :( But this trip was so fabulous and even a month and a half later it still seems a bit surreal to me for some strange reason. I have become an Anglophile - I love England. I really, really hope to be able to relocate and live there at some point. This trip was the tip of the iceberg and I can't wait to go back next year and see tons more - Stratford, Oxford, Chatsworth, The Lakes, The Cliffs, York, Dorset, etc... I really, really felt so happy there. It was a comforting place and I really hope an opportunity comes up in the future for me to teach there.
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