Prepare for a massive photo dump - because on Tuesday the 2nd - we went to London for the day! We had a pretty ambitious route around this wonderful city planned and I think we managed to conquer most everything we planned to see!
We started at King's Cross station and showed my husband and MIL Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and perused the Harry Potter store there at the station! Afterward, we made our way to St. Paul's Cathedral for a quick picture and then we made our way across Millennium Bridge - also known as the Wibbly Wobbly Bridge, since when it was originally completed... it was quite literally, a bit wibbly wobbly!
Of course - right across the river from St. Paul's is Shakespeare's Globe Theater - always worth taking a peek at! We wandered along the river (it was a little chilly to start the day) taking in the scenery alongside the Thames, including the Prison Museum, a gift shop or two, the ruins of an old cathedral and delightful looking pubs! We arrived shortly at our next quick stop, the Borough Market!
We poked around the market a bit - between the six of us we sampled: decadent donuts, coffee, a cheese and onion roll, a sausage roll and more (I think). We were a little all over the place, but I know that my cheese, onion and bacon roll was so very tasty and the coconut cream-filled donut was divine! We have my husband's coffee cup in our bathroom, since you had to buy your cup with your coffee, ha-ha! Shortly after the market, it was time for my parents to make their way to Heathrow and the Lapps were headed to the Tower of London!
We walked along the Thames, crossed Tower Bridge and headed into the Tower of London - one of my favorite places in the lovely city of London! The history that just explodes from the Tower is incredible; it's been in place in one form or another since 1097 and so it's seen quite a bit of history - to put it mildly! We peeked at the crown jewels - some of which were gone because they were being used in the upcoming coronation - and toured the White Tower, saw Tower Green where the executions were completed and of course - we poked our heads into the torture chamber! Eek!
We also took some time to talk with one of the Beef Eaters (more correctly known as Yeoman Warders) and he shared some fascinating tidbits with us! The uniforms they wear were updated only a week earlier to show CR - which stands for Charles Rex III - King Charles title. Our beef eater had only been working at the Tower for a whole month, but he did share that he was Warder 401 and no other warder would ever have that number. So - there have only been a little over 400 people who have served as Yeoman Warder since it was established in 1485 by Henry 8th (it's a lifelong position).
We had a quick snack by the riverside and met back up with my sister and then hopped the tube over to the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye! We were able to take in Big Ben (that's the bell - not the tower) and check out Westminster Abbey from afar, since it was being prepared for the coronation! There were media boxes set up across the street from the Abbey and my sister and I were tickled and thrilled by all of it, ha-ha! It was fascinating to see the elements of a once in a lifetime moment being put together!
We walked across the Thames toward the London Eye - obviously stopping for photo opportunities - and since we had a little time to kill before our 4 PM ride on the Eye, we popped into a coffee shop to get some afternoon fuel! After our coffee, we headed for the line to get on the Eye, entered the queue and within about fifteen minutes - we were beginning our thirty minute whirl on the Eye, seeing London from a bird's eye view!
Thankfully it was sunny and so we could see the city stretching out in every direction! It turned into such a nice day after starting overcast! Once we finished on the Eye, it was closing in on 5:00 and we wanted to stop off at three more spots before catching the train: Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Mason (for my sis) and MI6 (for Ryan). We planned our attack and headed for the Tube - Mind the Gap!
We almost didn't go to Buckingham Palace - but guys, I am so very glad we did! It was in the throes of preparation for the coronation and there were people milling around the gates, which is normal. However - what I immediately noticed that was NOT normal? One of the gates was opened and there were police men standing along the crowds lining the exit from the interior of the palace! Once I saw the police on motorcycles inside the gate, waiting... my Spidey senses started tingling and I knew something was going on! I immediately made my way to the edge of the crowd alongside the open gate...
What happened next was - in short - a once in a lifetime moment! King Charles left the palace and drove right past where I was standing, waving to the crowds... who cheered as he left, almost like he was royalty or something. Oh wait! Ha-ha! Whether you love him or hate him - it's pretty fabulous to be able to say you've seen the King of England in person, right? Well - we all thought so and we were pretty tickled to say the least! We popped over to the Tube for our final journey to see MI6 - and we came out of the station right in front of the famed building, much to the delight of my husband!
We headed back to Kings Cross and caught our train back to Cambridge, ordered Deliveroo on the ride from Cambridge to Bury and all sat around my sister's table eating salad and pizza at 9 PM! A look at our watched told us we'd covered over nine miles in one day - suffice it to say, we were all pooped!
We saw everything on our list - of course, there was plenty we could have seen if we'd had more time - but all in all, I'd say we accomplished our goals to see as much of London as we could!
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