Wearing My Tourist Face in London
I love looking through all of these pictures while I watch Queen Elizabeth ride in her carriage through the streets of London for her Diamond Jubilee. I can't believe I was actually there! I actually stood in front of Buckingham Palace, gaping like a tourist. Haha. When we were in Westminster Abbey, the person giving out the audio guides said to us the moment we stepped up, "You're Americans, aren't you?" "Why do you ask?" "Well, because you're smiling." :-) We couldn't help wearing our tourist faces when we were surrounded by such beauty and history!
1.) Westminster Abbey - This was one of my favorite sights to see! It was so incredibly beautiful inside and it was torture that I couldn't take pictures. The "Poet's Corner" of the Abbey gave me chills. I saw the memorials for many of my favorite writers, like Shelley, Keats, Dickens, Lewis Carroll, and most importantly, Jane Austen. I nearly started crying when I saw her name on the wall. Typical book nerd...
2.) Westminster Bridge - We walked across this bridge when we finished our ride on the London Eye. It felt very British to see men playing the bagpipe as we made our way across. It was such a beautiful day!
3.) Big Ben - I couldn't get over the enormity of the clock tower. I felt like jumping up and down when I saw it!
4.) Streets of London - I loved seeing "Look Left" and "Look Right" painted at the crosswalks. We usually look both ways though because we were confused which side was the right side of the road. Haha. We did A LOT of walking on the trip. It was definitely worth it.
5.) Vertical Garden - This was one of my favorite discoveries that we stumbled upon during one of our long (probably lost) walks across this city. I've seen pictures of vertical gardens before but it was incredible to see one in person!
6.) Buckingham Palace - We peeked through the gates of Buckingham Palace with all of the other tourists hoping to get a glimpse of the royal family. No sighting of Prince Harry though...bummer. ;-)
7.) Afternoon Tea - Thanks to all of our walking, we didn't feel so guilty when we finally took a moment to sit and enjoy an afternoon tea. This one we had at Camellia's Tea House in Kingly Court. The cake and pretty teapot (with a mini teapot handle!) made me feel a little bit like Alice in Wonderland.
8.) Harrods - Harrods was just as extravagant and over the top as I thought it would be. The food halls inside were incredible. The shop windows were set up with beautiful displays of tea cakes all for the upcoming jubilee celebrations.
9.) My British Boyfriend - I even found a 6ft tall cuddly, British boy inside Harrods. We hit it off right away. ;-)
I miss it all so much! Thankfully I have more photos and stories to remember and share.