Before my adventures in Africa began in July, I was lucky enough to have a day and a half layover in London. My friend and travel companion, Joanna, moved across the pond twelve days prior to our Africa departure, and graciously showed me around her new home.
I didn't sleep a wink on my overnight flight from New York City, and arrived at Joanna's flat a little after 8 am exhausted and in need of a nap. But, Joanna encouraged me to power through. And power through we did. In less than 48 hours, we enjoyed a traditional English breakfast, wandered around the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, and watched the guards at Buckingham Palace. We browsed the markets in Harrod's, snacked on chocolate tarts at Paul's and sandwiches at Pret, and strolled through the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly Circus. As the hours passed, we continued to add more and more sights to our list.
I loved all of the architecture throughout London, and found myself constantly admiring the mixture of old world and new as we buzzed around the city. And after weeks of rainy weather, the sun made an extended appearance while I was in town. I couldn't asked for a better two-day tour of London.
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| My traditional English breakfast, which I have determined is a hungover person's dream come true. I mean, look at that fried bread. |
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| Houses of Parliament and Big Ben |
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| London Eye |
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| Westminster Abbey |
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| Buckingham Palace |
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| Harrod's |
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| Joanna's neighborhood, Bethnal Green, in East London |
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| These crosswalk signs saved my life many times. |
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| Piccadilly Circus |
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| National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square |
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| Tower of London |
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| Tower Bridge |
Joanna and Dan, thank you so much for welcoming me into your flat and giving me an amazing tour of London. Cheers!
ooh you got to see some of the olympic stuff i see! how wonderful. My mother went to london years ago and has always said it was her dream vacation - I would lov to go one day for sure- but the opposite side of the street driving makes me scared LOL - I would be that idiot that steps out in front of a bus - ugh! Great photos!! You got to see a ton in onlly 48 hours!!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! What a great time to be in London! Lovely pictures. I hope I get to visit it one day.
ReplyDeleteYou're such a little traveler! Looks like your layover was well spent touring London, so cool! I hope you enjoyed your time in Africa too. Thanks again for the NYC advise! We checked out Chelsea market and found the Economy candy store, which I saw was featured in your sights to see page. Your city is so much fun!
ReplyDeleteSO beautiful! What amazing adventures. I can't wait to visit London someday.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I really want to go to London!
ReplyDeleteThe "look right!" sign on the road made me laugh, though. Is it there for the benefit of American people who drive on the "wrong" side of the road!? :P