Europe Trip Part 1: London, England

After months and months of planning, our trip to Europe came and went too fast. We had an amazing time and I can hardly believe it is over and we are already back home. I have tons to write about and hundreds of pictures to go through but will slowly post over the next few weeks.

Days 1 and 2 - Flight and Tour London

We left for London on September 1st and arrived at around noon on September 2nd. Bentley and I slept during most of the flight so that we would be able to hit the ground running once we arrived. Our flight was relatively uneventful except for a delay taking off and when we arrived our plane could not connect to the jetbridge so we had to exit our of the rear of the plane, down some stairs and take buses to the terminal. We carried all of our luggage on which consisted of a large back pack and a smaller daypack. Our typical traveling style consisted of the large bag on our backs and the smaller bag worn on our front. It helped to balance us out but was still heavy. And yes, it was a workout. This allowed us to move around more freely without having to pull a suitcase on wheels and not to have to check a bag.

Once we were in London, we took the Underground to our hotel, checked in and started to walk around to enjoy our first city. We took this first day pretty easy since we were trying to recover from the time change (six hours ahead of Texas). We grabbed some fish and chips from a little sidewalk cafe, went to the National Gallery, walked around Trafalgar Square, saw Downing Street, Parliment, Big Ben, Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square. We were pretty exhausted but enjoyed a lot of walking around, sightseeing and people watching. We ended the night at one of Bentley's favorite places while he was in England, Wetherspoons.

Bentley in a phone booth - which he said was stinky!

I love these phone booths and want one in my house.

Our plan was to ride the London Eye but we got there just after it closed. We did get some great pictures of the London Eye and other buildings at night.

London Eye at night

London Eye by day

Big Ben

Big Ben and Parliment

Day 3 - Tour London
For our first full day in London, we had several things we wanted to see along with trying to get tickets for the England vs. Bulgaria soccer game. We started out the morning by visiting the Tower of London and taking a hilarious tour from one of the witty Beefeaters. We saw the Crowned Jewels and lots of armor from various kings. The ravens at the Tower of London are known for being huge but you just can't imagine until you see one in person. They are the size of a small dog! After we wandered around there for a while, we grabbed lunch at a little rooftop cafe and had to have some fish and chips, again!

Tower of London carvings where lots of prisioners were held. Someone carved "James" which is Bentley's middle name in the stone.

That afternoon we went to the Westminster Abbey and enjoyed looking at this gorgeous church. Westminster Abby has been the place where England’s kings and queens have been crowned and buried since 1066. A thousand years of English history – 3,000 tombs, the remains of 29 kings and queens, and hundreds of memorials-lie within its walls and under its stone slabs.

Westminster Abbey

Once we were finished there it was time to head out to the Wembley Stadium area to try and get tickets for the soccer game. We had no idea if it was sold out, if we would be able to get tickets from scalpers or what but we decided to check it out. We made it to the area and could see the stadium high above but could not figure out how to get to it. After about 45 minutes of wandering around we finally found the stadium and were able to buy tickets from the ticket office for much cheaper than we were thinking. We had a few hours until the game started so we wandered back into the square and found a little place to hang out with a bunch of local English soccer fans. They were so excited and pumped up. They were singing their songs and chants very proudly. As we were heading for the game we were hungry but didn't have much time so we got a lamb kabob and ate it while practically running. I am still not a fan of lamb but Bentley loved it.

This was the first professional soccer game for both of us. Our seats were in the upper level at about midfield. Not bad for showing up the day of and buying tickets. There was just as much excitement and energy as with a professional football game here in the US. England beat Bulgaria 4-0 with Jermain Defoe scoring a hat trick.









Day 4 - Touring London

Our last day in London so we wanted to take advantage of every minute. First thing we took a stroll through St. James Park as we were making out way to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. We got there early to be sure that we get a good seat although we were uncertain if the spot we picked was good. Turned out it was fine - better to be up on the Victoria Monument than just in front of the gates so we did good. According to Rick Steves, "it’s just after 11:00, and the on-duty guards-actually working at nearby St. James’s Place-are ready to finish their shift. At 11:15, these tired guards, along with the band, head out to the Mall, and then take a right turn for Buckingham Palace. Meanwhile their replacement guards – fresh for the day – gather at 11:00 at their Wellington Barracks, 500 yards east of the Palace (on Birdcage Walk), for a review and inspection. At 11:30, they also head for Buckingham Palace. As both the tired and fresh guards converge on the palace, the Horse Guard enters the fray, marching down the Mall from the Horse Guard Barracks on Whitehall. At 11:45, it’s a perfect storm of Red Coat pageantry, as all three groups converge. Everyone parades around, the guard changes, (passing the regimental flag or “color”) with much shouting, the band plays a happy little concert and then they march out. A few minutes later, the fresh guards set up at St. James’s Palace, the tired ones dress down at the barracks, and the tourists disperse. "












For the afternoon we wanted to explore Notting Hill, find the red door from the movie and possible the Travel Bookstore. We found the neighborhood but not the door or the bookstore. Maybe next time we will research that a little better. Once in Notting Hill we ate lunch at a pub called Prince Albert. I was convinced that I would try new foods on this trip but I can now say with certainty that I do not like lamb, no matter how it is cooked! I tried Bentley but it just isn't working out.





We heard that Portobello Road in Notting Hill is supposed to be one of the best places in the world for antique shopping. I had even heard an advertisement about Portobello Road back at home so we were excited to find it. However, we were a little disappointed because it was very touristy and seemed to be a pickpockets dream. We did not stay too long but at least we got to see it. We got a little lost trying to find out way back to the tube but ended up exploring some really great neighborhoods.


Street performers on Portabello Road



Late that afternoon we went to visit St. Paul's Cathedral and saw a couple that had just gotten married in the church. What a fun place to get married. I mean seriously, this is where Princess Diana got married. Waiting outside the church were three white Jaguars waiting to whisk them away. The doors to this church were massive! Look at tiny Bentley compared to the doors.







When leaving St. Paul's Cathedral (which we did not actually go into - just saw the outside) we headed for the Tate Modern Art Museum. What an interesting place. It had some really amazing exhibits. We saw some Picasso, Monet and lots of others - this would be one of the first of many museums to come. We only made it through the first few floors because our feet were aching and we were exhausted. Luckily it was free entry into this museum so we called it a day on our sightseeing and decided to go find a place to sit and relax. We walked a short distance along the South Bank and found a place called The Anchor. It was a great little outdoor restaurant with great people watching. We decided to have some Indian food since we knew London was known for their Indian cuisine. Luckily we had our iphones (and free internet at lots of restaurants) and found a place online called Pimlico Tandori that sounded good and had wonderful reviews. We got directions and headed for the Pimlico neighborhood which was not far from where we were. The restaurant was a tiny little hole in the wall that only have about 10-15 tables, the staff actually were Indian and the food was amazing. We both agreed it was some of the best Indian food we have ever had.


I could not have imagined having more fun in London. Now on to our next stop...Lancaster!