London

I'll be honest, London was not high on my list of places to visit.

Sure, it sounded exciting. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to London? But, so far away. And costly. Plus, there were other places I wanted to see...

Did I ever see myself visiting London? Sure, maybe someday. Like, maybe during retirement, after the kids were grown, if/when we had time to travel around Europe. And after the other places I wanted to see.

I certainly didn't expect to find myself in London this year.

But I did. And I must admit: In our short visit, not only did London catch my attention, I found myself developing a little crush. I was intrigued, and it left me wanting more.

London is a beautiful, magical city with rich history and culture, with an abundance of things to do and see. It's pretty and mysterious and quite charming, actually. It's trendy, but also laid-back, with much to offer, whether you want to just bum around the city without a plan, or do all the touristy things. And, very family friendly! The appeal is more than I anticipated.

Dan and I only had two days in London, but I must say, "Well done, London. Well done."

Photo credit: timeout.com

I arrived in London after an 8 hour red-eye flight on Virgin Atlantic. Although I didn't sleep much (pregnancy + turbulence), I was pleasantly surprised with the service and the meals. Dan "collected" me at the airport and after catching up over lunch (it was so good to see him after two weeks!) I napped off the jet-lag while he worked.

We planned to head downtown the next morning, but that evening we explored the outskirts of the city a bit and ended up in Richmond where we enjoyed dinner at a pub called 'The Duke'. It did not disappoint!

Photo credit: The Duke: http://www.foodandfuel.co.uk/our-pubs/the-duke-richmond/

The next morning we checked in at the Marriott County Hall Hotel, located on the River Thames, overlooking the London Eye and Big Ben. I highly recommend this hotel - it was surprisingly affordable and the location was close to many well-known landmarks. 

Then we set out to explore London. But first: a pic with baby girl  :)

Big Ben. River Thames. 21 weeks.          

We started with a double decker bus tour around the city, which was fantastic. We had a very good tour guide who identified all the landmarks and buildings and shared neat fun facts. 

So much to see. So much to learn! The architecture was incredible! 

Riding on London Bridge, overlooking Tower Bridge

Riding on Tower Bridge!

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge, approaching the Tower of London

The Tower of London and Tower Bridge

The Tower of London

The Tower of London

The River Thames, London Eye

Coffee overlooking Trafalgar Square

We loved the city busy tour and would highly recommend, as we learned so much in such a short period of time. Plus, we could hop on and off anywhere along the way, at our convenience.

Following our afternoon coffee (I know, I know... tea is the choice of Brits, but there was a coffee house on every corner so we caved), we headed over to the theatre district to get tickets for a show. Wicked was sold out, but were able to snag tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We grabbed a bite, then headed to the theatre.

Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The interior was gorgeous and the performance was very enjoyable! Following the show we went for a walk along the River Thames. It was a beautiful evening.

Big Ben at night

View from our room at the Marriott County Hall Hotel

So did we love London? YES.
Did we want to return? We were already planning our next trip! 

As I said, our trip was very short, but we saw and experienced enough to compile a list of pros/favorites to share:

*The History!
*The Architecture! (Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Parliament, Buckingham Palace! etc!)
*Plenty of green space, beautiful parks
*Friendly and safe city
*Amazing array of art galleries and museums, all free to visit! It's walkable, but public transportation is easily accessible (London buses, "The Tube"...)
*Theatre district is vibrant and offers a variety of fantastic shows.
*Cultural melting pot (perk: great authentic food!)

If you haven't been to London and it's not near the top of your travel list, I beg you to reconsider. You will not regret it. Better yet, if you come visit sometime in the next few years we will take you! ;)