London!

On Saturday, November 19th, in the wee hours of the morning, Meg and I flew out of Dublin into Stansted, England.  From Stansted, we took a bus to Stratford, where we jumped on the Tube to Greenwich where we were staying.  Upon our arrival we dropped off our bags in our hostel and did some exploring in Greenwich.  There was this great market going on full of local artists and their pieces, as well as some amazing food! We walked around for a while, and indulged in the most decadent steak tip sandwich with sizzling melted cheddar cheese on top, it was so delicious! After this we walked through the campus of The University of Greenwich and the old Naval College.  

 Downtown Greenwich

 Very cliche, but it had to be done

 Delicious foods at the Markets

The University of Greenwich

After this we got on a River boat up to Westminster Abbey. The boat was a great way to see a lot of attractions along the Thames River.  Once we made it up to Westminster, we first went to Westminster Abbey and the Parliament buildings, then we made our way to Buckingham Palace. We walked through Hyde Park as well as Green Park, both are equally beautiful. It was nice to finally feel some fall weather.

 The London Tower Bridge

 The actual London Bridge

 The Millennium Bridge

 The Eye of London

 Big Ben!

 Westminster Abbey

 Meg & I in the park

 Buckingham Palace

 The Palace

We strolled through the parks for  a while and then made our way to Harrods, which is a famous Department store in London.  It was nicely decorated for Christmas which satisfied Meg and I :) We walked through the store for a while drooling over all the beautiful couture clothing.  After Harrods, we made our way to Queensway which is where my friend Aly lives.  She goes to Syracuse U and is spending this semester in London.  Meg & I went out for dinner with her and her boyfriend Will and this great little Asian/ Dim Sum restaurant. It was very tasty, and great to see her!

 Harrods at night time

Aly & I at Ping Pong

On Sunday we got up early, had breakfast at the hostel and made our way back to Central London.  Our first stop was Buckingham Palace with hopes of seeing the Change of the Guards, however it wasn't happening on Sunday.  Regardless, we saw a cool Horse March to the Palace down Buckingham Palace Road.  I seriously considered making a scene by proclaiming that I saw the Queen in the window for a moment...but I changed my mind when I decided such a riot would probably get me deported back to the US.  After the Palace Meg and I harassed some guards and took pictures with them at The Cavalry Museum.  Because it was Sunday, they were 'dressed down' and not in the full uniform.  We took some cliche pictures anyway, and I even got one to break character, turn his head, and wink at me. 

 Had to stop for a photo shoot on our way to the Palace

 Outside Buckingham

 Horse March

 He couldn't help but smile 

 Our next stop was a classic English Pub for an ale where we wrote some postcards to send home.  Then we walked through China town towards another pub where we had some warm mulled cider and a small snack. After this we walked down Oxford Street and got on the Tube to the Tower Bridge of London.  We then had dinner near the Tower Bridge and then met up with Meg's friend, Matt who lives in London.  We went out with his family and stayed at his house for the night. 

 Writing postcards with an Adnam's Ale

 Meg with her pint

 China town in London

 delicious Mulled Cider

 Great Quote

 Oxford Street all lit up

 The Tower Bridge at night

Overall, London was a great experience! It is a very beautiful city, rich with history and amazing sights. Two days definitely was not enough time to get the full experience, however it was still great to see things like Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace that most people only read about.

Next weekend, Meg & I are off to Stockholm, Sweden! I am SO excited, it will be awesome to experience another very different city and country. It' going to be freezing, but definitely worth it. 

Until next time, 

Cheers!

-Lea