We decided to add an extra day to the end of our cruise so we could
spend a day in London before heading back to the states. We will
definitely be back in Barcelona to experience it...someday! We got off
the ship and picked up our luggage and headed to the shuttle for the
airport. The flight was short, I think I even slept a little. Once we
landed in London we found the train (not so easily but I'll spare you
the details) and headed to the hotel. Lugging 4 suitcases on a train and
through the streets in London was fantastic. We arrived at our hotel
dropped the bags off, and headed out to see the city. First stop was the
Millenium Bridge, it is a walking bridge, fairly newly constructed with
great views of the city and other sites. We then walked to Big Ben and
the Parliament area where we saw The London Eye and Big Ben (I honestly
took 34 pictures of Big Ben alone...). It was so amazing to see these
things in person. I really wanted to go to Buckingham Palace (hoping to
see Harry and William) and so we headed to the Palace. I read in my
London book that if the flag is flying that means the Queen is
there...and it was! I dont know why that made it more exciting, but it
did. The Palace has a huge public garden that many natives were enjoying
with the nice weather. After Buckingham Palace we had dinner. Vinny had
fish and chips (of course) and I decided to be All American and ordered
a cheeseburger and chips. We then headed to The London Eye, which we had
bought tickets online months before. This is definitely a great addition
to London, it was so fun to see things from a much tall advantage. I'm
not really afraid of heights but things like Ferris Wheels and Cable
Cars...they really scare me. Luckily the London Eye didn't feel like a
typical Ferris Wheel so I wasn't scared at all (ok maybe a little when
we stopped 900 times). Our last stop in London was to watch the Changing
of the Keys ceremony at the Tower of London. Although it is no longer
occupied by the Royal Family, the Tower officially remains a royal
residence, and as such, maintains a permanent Guard. The ancient custom
of the Ceremony of The Keys, which involves the formal locking of the
gates of the Tower of London, has been carried out continuously every
night, without fail, for more than 600 years since 1340. We were not
able to take pictures (orders from the Queen) but none the less it was a
unique learning experience and definitely something to remember.
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The warnings on cigarettes are a little more obvious in London! Holy cow...
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Millenium Bridge
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Vinny on...you guessed it! The Millenium Bridge
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I was SOO excited when I saw the Tower Bridge, that is SO London!
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muah!
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lol...this is so Americans don't kill themselves when crossing the street
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me and an infamous red bus
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Big Ben and Vinny
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The London Eye from afar
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The clock strikes and the bells ring..sorry I could only capture half of that!
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Westminster Abby
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Buckingham Palace (flag flying means she is home!)
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This is for my sissy...unicorn statue on Buckingham Palace
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Lost again?
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Buckingham guard (aka nutcracker)
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Queen Victoria statue
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This is the grounds of the Palace, they have those green striped chairs for rent...the park was packed!
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Fish and Chips of course!
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Vinny waiting for our turn on the London Eye
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We finally remember we have French candy to eat! I bought peach, Vinny got coconut..mine was gross so he traded...what a good guy!
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MMmmmm coconut
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At the top! This was so much fun..talk about great views...it goes around slowly and the full circle takes 30 minutes
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Big Ben (yes..again) but this view is too good to leave out!
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lol..hang on...
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I loved the fish lightpoles surrounding the London Eye..so neat
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Vinny and downtown London
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Me and the Tower Bridge
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wow..runaway bride eyes....
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We saw the Changing of the Keys Ceremony at the Tower of London...we werent able to take pictures but it was very unique and fun to see.
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Sigh.....13 days later and home we go....Back to reality kids!
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