London I'm Yours!

Day 1 and 2: It's official I am in LOVE with London! 2 days in and I wish we could stay here so much longer. I am already confident I will make it back because there is so much to see and do that we just can't get it all in this time around, but that doesn't mean we aren't trying! Our days have been full and long and we are determined to get in as much as possible on our last day as well.
Our flight in was LONG and needless to say we didn't exactly fly first class (don't worry Mom they gave us blankets!).



I watched Valentines Day, episodes of Friends, and attempted to watch Alice in Wonderland which I ultimately gave up on because it was so dark and our headphones weren't the best (I now completely understand Tony's request for nice headphones for his birthday) We were held in a holdover pattern for about 20 minutes before we were able to land in Heathrow, which was only made better by the flight staff's accents. We were then shuttled in to the actual terminal where we took the longest escalator in London to grab our bags and head to the Underground (The Tube). We were absolutely lucky this time and all of our luggage arrived safe and sound (yes mine was overweight)and I learned right away that my rolling duffle is in a pain in the toush. Stairs + REALLY heavy bag does not equal a very fun situation. After a slight misadventure with the Tube, almost getting my bag stuck, and thinking that Berkeley St. and Upper Berkeley St. we finally arrived at our hotel, the Marble Arch Inn. The hotel is located in a great little area close to Hyde Park and the Marble Arch surrounded by restaurants shops, Hookah bars, and Starbucks.

As soon as we checked in, we dropped our luggage off into the room (think a glorified dorm room with a cruise ship size bathroom)and were off to explore! I am so thankful Kenley has been here before as he could navigate the Tube with expertise, and we were able to make it Picadily Circus and Leicster Square no problem. We had lunch/dinner at a pub called Brewmasters where the boys enjoyed a variety of fish and chips with pints of beer and I had a salad with a great glass of wine. I also learned that ice does not come common in London. From Brewmasters we headed to Trafalgar Square which has been my favorite place so far. The fountains, street musicians and statues coupled with PERFECT weather forced me to pinch myself to believe it was all real. It was that moment that secured my love for this city. We took some time to explore the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery which were both free for public admission (a HUGE plus for us on a budget)From the museums we came back to the hotel and all took naps to try and recover from being awake for 24 hours straight. When we all woke up we headed to one of the local Hookah bars where we enjoyed Pita and Hummus, cappacino. We ended the night with some BBC Crime Watch. (Pictures from Day 1 are on the camera I don't have the cord for to transfer them to my computer so they exist and I love them, but they will be posted soon hopefully)
Day 2 started with Justin finding his way to our hotel and then we were off to Hyde Park where we visited the Peter Pan statue and Pirate Ship Playground which was one of Princess Di's projects. Unfortunately, because of our lack of a child we weren't allowed to go in and play (we looked into borrowing one, but it didn't work out so well.) After walking around Hyde park we headed back to our hotel, picked up Kenley and headed off to all of the big sites. Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace can now all be checked off of my must see in my life list. Gorgeous does not begin to be an adequate adjective to describe how amazing London architecture is. You can feel the history surrounding you as you walk down the streets and on every corner there is another historic building with intricacies that just don't exist in California.


Everything in London is just so rich with culture and beauty that its hard to take it all in at once. Its the small things from the trip I am trying the hardest to remember so I can try and express the feelings that went with each new turn and adventure we've taken. Everything from the decorated elephants around the city to chairs in Hyde park which you can sit in and just enjoy the park (there is a charge for the chairs, but we figured they wouldn't mind us using them long enough to snap a quick picture)to the father and son on the Tube being so openly affectionate towards each other, to the musicians in the underground stations (ALL playing Bob Marley.) For a first time visitor it is just perfect and everything I had hoped being abroad would be.

As I sit in my bed, listening to Kenley's Ipod and watching Mike try and figure out how to watch the Lakers game, I can't help but feel so blessed to be here at this point in my life, able to take this all in and just enjoy whatever happens whenever it comes to us.
Tomorrow is our last day in London and we are making sure we enjoy it to its fullest! I miss everyone from home and truly wish I can someday experience this all with you.