Wednesday, November 20, 2013

London Calling.

Adam and I got home from the honeymoon of a lifetime late Sunday evening on Labor Day weekend. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who had fun while we were gone:

I guess we were missed!
We spent Labor Day Monday relaxing, procrastinating unpacking, and opening gifts. I took off Tuesday as well to start the name change process. Right as I was walking out the door to head to the Social Security office, I get a call from my boss. They need me to go to London on SUNDAY for a work trip, so hopefully I haven't changed my name yet and my passport is still valid? Umm heck YES, name changing can wait a week or two!

I was so excited. Europe has always been a huge item on my to-do list, and you couldn't ask for a better city than London for your first solo European excursion. Sure, leaving a whopping five days after my honeymoon wasn't ideal, but this was London, baby! There was no way I was passing up such a great opportunity. 

I landed in Heathrow late Sunday evening and caught the train to Paddington Square. 

The Tube announcer lady has the most pleasant and soothing voice of all time.
Everything looked like Harry Potter. I resisted my urge to go straight tourist and prance around London in the dark, but only because it was late and I was exhausted. All of the cabs looked exactly how I pictured them to look: 

Pip pip, cheerio.
I gave myself away as an overexcited American as soon as I opened my mouth, and my cabbie was kind enough to humor me take me to my hotel via the scenic route. Which was actually also the fastest route because my hotel was in an AMAZING location! If you ever find yourself in London, I highly recommend staying at the Doubletree Westminster. It's located just a short walk from two Tube stations, and it's right around the corner from Parliament and Westminster Abbey! 

My hotel room, with a view of the London Eye! Couldn't fit it in the picture, though. Bollocks.
Oh, this was just my commute for the week. NBD.
Westminster Abbey
 I truly don't have any regrets in life, but if I was hard-pressed to pick something, I do wish I was able to travel more. Navigating my way around a foreign city brought such a sense of confidence, and I was pretty good at it! After just a day or two, I didn't even need to use my GPS app to get around. The Tube App was an absolute godsend as well. The Tube is beautifully simple once you get the hang of it. 

This isn't as complicated as it looks.
After I was done working each day, I liked to head to Oxford Street and do a little window shopping. It was here that I discovered the eighth wonder of the world that is Topshop. This store is ahhhhmazing. I also did typical Brit things in the evenings, such as sampling fish and chips (not a huge fan) and hanging out in pubs (definitely a huge fan). 

Discovered my new favorite drink. Unfortunately it costs a million dollars to ship to the states.
On the last day of the trip, I was fortunate enough to have time for a little sightseeing. Naturally, that meant a doubledecker bus tour and seeing the Tower of London! The history buff in me pretty much geeked out all day. Execution sites and royal jewels on display? Sign me up. 
That's where they keep the jewels. Mmmm jewels.



You don't want to go into the Tower of London that way.


Next thing I knew, the week was over and it was time to head home. It was an amazing week, but I was excited to finally get some down time with my husband! Skype just isn't as good as the real deal.
Until next time, London!

4 comments:

  1. Seriously massive jealous girlfriend! What do you do that your job requires you to go to LONDON!?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Brianna! I work in foreign military sales. I was in London for an air show, which was also really cool!

      Delete
  2. Love London! Looks like you had a great time! Did you take any (nearly obligatory) phone booth photos, or have any royal spottings?! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had a blast! I did take a few (totally obligatory) phone booth photos, but none with me inside of one. One of the few disadvantages of traveling solo! No royal spottings, although I was on the lookout for baby George the whole time!

      Delete