Stepping off the plane, about to start my journey I could not have be more excited. After freshening up at the hotel we immediately jumped on the tube and went on a walking tour. On your first day in a new time zone it’s smart to jump right into the adventure, that way you don’t lose the battle called Jet Lag. Our first stop was the Tower of London. Fun fact, the inner tower called the White Tower was constructed circa 1080 William the Conqueror. It holds many artifacts and armor of the past Kings of England, as well as documents, ordinances, gifts from other countries and weapons. The Tower has been a jail, a fortress, a place of execution, and now currently holds the Crown jewels.

 

 

Right outside the Tower of London is Tower Bridge. It is most commonly mistaken for London Bridge because it is so often photographed. We also went over Tower Bridge but it’s not as pretty as Tower Bridge.

We walked to Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge (the bridge that the Death Eaters break in the last Harry Potter film), the Globe, the Monument of the Great Fire of 1666, Piccadilly Circus, and the London Eye, all in one day. To say the least we were exhausted.

The next four days we also visited, Camden Lock Market, Spitalfields Market (my favorite), Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, rode the London Eye, saw a Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe, saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, walked through Regents Park and visited the British Museum.

 

My top 5 must see:

A Show at the Globe– The original Globe that Shakespeare performed in unfortunately burned down, but the reconstruction of the Globe is pretty dang close to the real deal. As a groundling, someone who stands the entire time in the middle of the theater, the actors are able to interact with you. They talk to you and mess with you and it’s so lively that you forget that you are standing for so long. Also seeing Shakespeare performed is absolutely amazing. The tickets aren’t bank breaking either!

Shakespeare’s Globe

Stonehenge– Although a long drive, the atmosphere at Stonehenge is so calming. It’s incredibly beautiful there too. You are unable to walk through the stones because footsteps would disrupt the foundation but you can get very close to the stones on one side. It’s a breathtaking and surreal experience that I highly recommend.

Walk through Regents Park- From start to finish the walk takes about two and a half hours, but you definitely don’t have to walk the entire length like we did. It takes you through so many different villages and neighborhoods of London and it has some spectacular photo opportunities. If you need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, this is the place to go.

 

 

 

 

London Eye– The London Eye is the best way to see all of London in just a half an hour. You get a perfect birds eye view of the Thames River, all of the bridges, the Parliament Building, and Big Ben. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty intimidating to go into a bubble that hangs over the river and you can feel it shake if it’s a windy day, but this is one Ferris wheel that can’t be skipped.

 

Windsor Castle– Where can you go in America to see a real castle that actually used to function as a fortress. I mean this castle might look pretty on the outside but it has arrow holes in the walls, murder zones where boiling oil and other liquids were thrown down, a moat (that now functions as a beautiful garden) and if that’s not intimidating enough, the guards carry AK 47’s everywhere. The inside of the castle was amazing. There was one room where the walls and ceilings were covered in the Family crests of every single knight that served the British Crown. It was chalked full of so much history, that I have been there twice and I still haven’t seen it all. If possible make a day trip out of this one because there is so much to see.

 

 

That’s all I have for today! Join me next time as we get lost in Switzerland together