Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Monday Funday in London with Jill

Firstly, I apologize for being so spotty (hmmm) with my posts. Luke and I don't have interwebs in our new flat yet (we get it Thursday, which just so happens to be the day we go back to the states for two weeks, go figure!). Although I love taking a walk to Starbucks, the webs there only seems to allow me to do so much internetting. 
Secondly, like I just said, I will be gone for the next two weeks. I will try to post, but I don't plan to bring my computer and I am not a fan of this blogger app as it doesn't allow me to put pictures between words. I will try though!

Actual date of this event: 22 April

The Monday after the London Marathon was supposed to be relaxing, and it was, to an extent. We actually did way more walking than planned, but London is massive so it practically impossible to walk less than 5 miles in a day. Jill’s flight didn’t leave until that evening, so she and I had until about 4:30 to do what we wanted. We decided the night before that we would take it easy in the morning, then go eat Chipotle in Wimbledon for lunch, and then head to the city to do some sight-seeing. Thanks, Nary, for giving us the free food coupons at Chipotle!

Jill and I hopped on the District tube line which would get us near Hyde Park. Hyde Park is a really nice park, and it is a must do if you plan to see Buckingham Palace or London in general. There is a very large pond (The Serpentine) right in the middle, and you can rent a paddle boat. It’s just a really nice area!

We strolled through the park, and then made our way to Buckingham Palace. Jill ran by the palace at the end of her 26.2 miles, but she didn’t even notice it. To be honest, it is not all that spectacular. But it was still pretty neat to see the balcony and the round-about, all of which I remember from the Royal Wedding just a few years ago.



There are a few other parks around Buckingham Palace, and we chose to walk through St. James’s which would lead us to the BIG attraction: Parliament Square. I was standing right Parliament Square the day before, but I was so focused on the marathon that I did not even notice all of the famous sights around me. I am so glad Jill and I got to enjoy it during a more calm moment. And the area really did not seem all that busy to me. It was Monday after all.

We have Westminster Abbey which is a very beautiful church… from the outside. It was 18GBP to go inside, so naturally we passed on that!

We did go into St. Margaret’s Church which is right next to Westminster Abbey. It is an Anglican church and had some very interesting stained glass. It was more like abstract art rather than the usual religious pictures you normally see. The church was free to go inside, so we jumped on that!

Next, we saw Big Ben and The Palace of Westminster. This whole building is just a beauty. It is right on the River Thames, so you can see the front side of it and the back side… actually you can see all sides of it. I would love to take a riverboat tour someday. If you’re my next visitor, there is a good chance that will be on the agenda! I have heard it’s great!


Across the river is the London Eye. We originally planned to do the London Eye on Sunday after the race, but found out that it is 20GBP for one person, and if you want the fast track, it is 30GBP which doesn’t even seem to be much faster. Maybe one day I will buckle up and hand over both of my arms for the London Eye and Westminster Abbey.
Jill and I decided to head a couple miles east, so we got on the District/Circle line to Tower Hill. This was the stop that Luke, Kristin and I got off on when we began watching the marathon. It looked completely different without the crowds of people. First, Jill and I walked to the Tower Bridge. It is 8GBP to climb up the tower and get some views, but stairs were not the best idea at that time, so we passed. Next time though!


Lastly, we needed a drink, we wanted some views, and we wanted to chill out for a bit before Jill had to leave to go back home. We went to Sushi Samba at the Heron Tower, which is where Luke and I went during our first weekend in London. Spectacular views again! We each got a delicious, but expensive, drink to quench our thirst.
It was then time to say “see you later” as I refuse to ever say good-bye to Jill! And I am oh so super thrilled because last week, she booked flights for her and Ryan to come to London at the end of May! Yippee!!! Can’t wait to see you soon Jill, but until then, we can emoji J

RANDOM FACT:
Big Ben is officially called the Elizabeth Tower, renamed after the Diamond Jubilee. It holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world.

-Debbie-

1 comment:

  1. The London Eye is totally worth it! We went at sunset and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!

    ReplyDelete

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