We fancied a wander in London...

My hands were numb. My nose was red and runny. My ears felt like they were going to fall off. But sight-seeing in London this weekend was ALL WORTH IT! First we took a bus to the Tower of London. I kind of expected it to be like this tall, lone tower standing in the middle of London. Nope. I was wrong. It is a castle that is surrounded by a tall stone wall. It is absolutely gorgeous and it was so great to learn about where England’s monarchs have lived for over 500 years! We saw the Traitor’s Gate, where Anne Boleyn and Sir Thomas Moore were taken through when going to their beheading just outside the tower. I was also able to see the armory and the crown jewels! OH. MY. GOSH. I saw the largest diamond in the world (The First Star of Africa) which is part of the Queen’s scepter. Also, the robe she wears during her coronation is 20 pounds and uses pure gold thread. It was absolutely amazing. The Tower was just absolutely fantastic and I loved seeing everything it had to offer!

When we tried to go to Buckingham Palace yesterday, there was a student protest going on. They were protesting the fact that the price for tuition had gone up, leaving those with loans more in debt. It was supposed to be a peaceful march but when we went by there were police cars everywhere. We noticed it started to get a little out of hand and we booked it out of there! Today, I was fortunate enough to see Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard. There were a lot of people there so it was really hard to see but it was worth it. Also, the flag was flying above the Palace which means that the Queen was home! I couldn’t see her in the house but I waved hello anyways.

When we arrived at Westminster Abbey, the church was in service and we were not allowed in since they had already started. However, it was one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen and I stared at for a very long time. I was in awe of the fact that these men, who had no where near the technology that we have now, were able to create such a beautiful building. And not only that, but they spent so much time building a beautiful CHURCH. I wish we still did that today. Wouldn’t it be amazing if, in America, our best architectural achievements were churches?

We then made our way over to Kensington Gardens and saw the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and the infamous Peter Pan statue. The gardens were beautiful and it was so great to be able to walk around and enjoy the sun (which was a miracle since they never see sun in England).

There was so much that we didn’t have time to see. I would have loved to go to Notting Hill, Kings Cross (train station in Harry Potter), Picadilly Circus, and Trafalgar Square. I am dying to see the Winston Churchill War Rooms. But I’m sure we will go again!