London 101…plus, some.

Phew…I’m beat! I’m struggling to stay awake and write this, but here we go!

One quick aside: As we made our way to the Tube this AM, we quickly found ourselves spiraling down a staircase for what felt like forever! I somehow managed to breeze right past the sign and Bryan stopped reading the one at the top of the stairwell at “175 steps…” and assumed we were capable, so just kept moving. As we got to the bottom of the trek, we then noticed the “Do not use except in an emergency” part…oops! #toristfail

What an incredibly fun, whirlwind of a day! We got going early to catch a tour out of Victoria Coach station, which landed us at St Paul’s to start the day. This is hands down one of my favorite churches. I completely understand why Princess Diana picked this for her wedding venue, making it the home of the first royal wedding in over 500 years! You can see some photos from outside below, but this is another place photos aren’t allowed (Google search it). 

Following St. Paul’s we enjoyed views of The Gorting Hotel (where Kate spent the night before her famous, Royal wedding day…it’s £5000/night with a two night minimum for point of reference) and then made it to Buckingham Palace where we awaited the Changing of the Guards. The Queen was home today (the Royal Standard flag was flying).

From here, we took a nice ride across the river and back over the Tower Bridge, grabbed lunch at a cozy pub (Enjoyed Lamb and spotted “Mint Sauce”) then toured the Tower of London. As we walked through the entrance the sun really peaked out after a gloomy, slightly rainy morning which really made for an enjoyable afternoon/evening.

I have to take a quick pause here to touch on the recurrent theme I enjoy most about London…the constant mix of historic and modern architecture. Here’s a few photos from today that capture this:

(I’m sure some better examples exist, but had to share.) 

Next, we hopped on a boat ride down the River Thames where we could take in many famous sights from a close up view of the Tower and London bridges, the “Trators Entrance” to the Tower of London (where prisoners where brought into the tower), The Shard, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Eye of London, Lambeth Palace (offical London residence of Archbishop of Canterbury), the American Embassy, M5/M6 (Specialized military forces), House ofParliament, etc. It was so interesting to see the nearly 8 meter difference in high vs low tide on the River today. 

(We even spotted/met a fellow Clevelander from Northfield!) 

To help keep this post from quickly becoming a novel, I’m also going to redirect you to my previous blog on these sites while in London (St. Paul’s, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London and River Thames) 🙂
However, a new things we learned/experienced today:

– London is approaching a population size of 9 Million! And the estimate ~300 languages are routinely spoken here.

– King Henry III was coined the “builder” as he was involved in the construction/addition/renovation of Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, Dover Castle, Tower of London, etc.

– A statue of Abraham Lincoln is placed across from Westminster Abbey, which symbolizes 100 years of peace with the U.S.

– …there’s also a statue of George Washington near the National Gallery that was for quite the opposite reason (that he’d never return to the U.K.) and rumors that U.S. soil was actually imported for the statue to be placed on.

– British army/guards’ uniforms were not red to “hide blood” as many believed; but, was a cost savings for the army …red was the cheapest dye at the time.

– When we visited Trafalgar Square yesterday, I didn’t realize this was where the British ring in their New Year on NYE

– Coutts is where the Queen banks. You need a minimum of £100,000 to open an account.

– Imperial War Museum: was previously a mental hospital, and British locals would take their families there for an outting/entertainment.  

– There is also a Westminster Cathederal, the largest Catholic Church in England. 

– While exploring the Crown Jewels we learned there is actually no insurance policy for them, as they are truly deemed “irreplaceable.”

–  In the collection, we got to see St. Edward’s Crown (the oldest of the Crown Jewels) worn for coronations dating back to 1661; the Imperial State Crown used to during the monarch’s annual State Opening of Parliament and is 317 carats…it has a total of 2,900 precious stones including Cullinan II (the second largest clear cut diamond in the world); the famous Koh-i-Noor Diamond that sits on the Queen Mother’s crown and has a controversial history tied to the British conquest of the Punjab in 1849…apparently the diamond also started at 793 carats, but over time was trimmed down to 105 carats; Queen Victoria’s crown (my favorite) which is petite, but sparkles better than any other piece we saw (in my opinion); and, the “bedazzled” Imperial Crown of India that was only worn for a visit to India (English law prohibits the Crown Jewels from leaving the country), yet contains 6,100 diamonds.

We concluded our day of touring with a ride on the London Eye. Although I froze in terror at the very top, I was pleased to learn this over 400 ft giant didn’t really sway the way a traditional seat on a Fherriswheel. Lucky to get some lovely sunny views of the city and would definitely recommend taking a ride if you haven’t. I had previously “poo-pooed” this as a “must see” for London, but maybe it was just my fear of heights that justified this previously…glad to have a change of heart for this one.

From here we decided to take advantage of the beautiful evening and strolled down the river front checking out various pop up spots and restaurants plus various murals and unique bench displays. We made our way to the National Theatre and spotted more cute venues, including one cleaverly named the Understudy. We decided to snack on a thin crust pizza to hold us over and grabbed a drink from a separate pop up bar. What a great way to unwind (with a view) after a busy day!

From here, we started to wonder back toward East London to freshen up at our hotel. We made our way past an open air Theatre/park, crowded wine bar and several pubs and shops that seemed to be welcoming the after work crowds. 

After a quick stop, we headed to the financial district around 8:30PM for SushiSAMBA. I was fortunate to be introduced to this amazing venue that really shows off the city by my dear friend, Kristina. I HAD to get Bryan there, even if for just a drink. As we quickly got comfortable checking out the views from the 40th floor…we happened to catch a table overlooking the Gherkin and decided grabbing some small bites with a drink would be the perfect way to end our night. Bryan had a Monkey Shoudler whiskey based cocktail muddled with salted caramel and maple, and I ordered a vodka based cocktail with strawberry, grapefruit and guava, shaken with rhubarb bitters, lime and sugar (this is pretty much everything I love in one)! Cheers to great drinks, breathtaking views, and the perfect small bites (edamame, Kobe sliders, sushi) to roundout our amazing day! 

Before making our way back to the hotel, we decided to shuffle into a little pub called George’s for a nightcap and are ready for one more (half) day in London tomorrow. Just about time to head to the countryside! 

Cheers, chaps!