I got to see LONDON today! Wow, what an amazing and fun day. We were delayed in JFK for two hours and missed our connecting flight at Heathrow International Airport (London) and British Airways put us up for the night! We didn’t arrive to the hotel near the airport till nearly 1:00 AM and so we were not able to see any of the city...yet! We didn’t fly out the next day till 9:15 PM and so we had the whole day to explore London. I didn’t realize how excited I was to be able to see London until we were walking up out of the tube stop (metro) at our first stop, Westminster. My eyes first caught glimpse of the old British buildings as I came up out of the station

and my heart just started a pounding! I turned to

my left and saw the Thames River with gorgeous buildings at the opposite shore and then I looked to my right and saw Big Ben towering into the sky! It was then that it hot me how excited I really was. Big Ben! In real life. The golden numbers were so vibrant and the clock tower stood strong against the back-drop of the parliament buildings. We made our way Westminster Bridge and took pictures looking back at Parliament and Big Ben. Just over the crest of spirals I could see the two towers of Westminster Abbey! Quickly, we crossed back over the bridge to begin our journey into the A

bbey. I don’t know if it was the excitement of Jenni over the royal wedding or Nick’s fascinating knowledge of the theology, but I quickly became really exited to enter in and explore th

e Abb

ey. It was beautiful inside. We had audio tour gadgets to listen to as we journey throughout the different chapels and burial areas of all the famous British greats; including King Henry VIII and the many Queen Elizabeths and Mary’s. Even the remains of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin

are within the walls of the Westminster Abbey. (A bit ironic that is deserving of more attention later.) I was able to see the royal coronation chair and stage where Kings and Queens had been crowned and married. It was really cool to learn a bit about British history, the monarchy and the Church of England.

After spending quit some time there, we were off to walk again across Westminster Bridge toward the London Bridge and the Globe Theatre. Along we the way, we stopped and enjoyed a some awesome Fish and Chips in a pretty swell British pub called the Stage Door. We walked through the Waterloo chartier and then into Southwark. Below the London Bridge in the old cobble stone streets we ran into the London Experience (Tombs of London). We knew that it would contain some fictitious acts, but really hoped that we would be able to see some of the actual catacombs, but sadly it was only a “spook alley.” We had a lot of fun and then continued on our way to see the London Bridge and the Globe Theatre. Sadly, London Bridge was probably the most boring bridge we saw all day. Even a nice Chinese man who took our photo was not impressed. The Globe Theatre is where William Shakespeare’s work was created and performed. It was way cool to see and learn so much about Shakespeare and the theater community through British History. After a good tour and a quick stop at the gift shop for a souvenir poster, we decided to go fast to be able to fit in one more stop...Buckingham Palace! It was a bit of a walk outside the Green Park tube station, but well worth it to see the Royal Residence. I loved it and was so happy to be able to check that one off my list. We then fought throw rush hour pedestrians in the tube and ma

de it back tot he airport just in time for some dinner and to board the plan.

We traveled from the Holiday Inn, M4 on the

shuttle bus to terminal 5 where we were able to place our bags in a locker for the day for 8.50 pounds/item. We then made several purchases to accommodate our limited time in London. We bought a Heathrow Express pass that granted two-way passage to and from central London in just 15 minutes for 32 pounds. We also purchased an all-day tube pass for 6.60 pounds that got us around downtown. We then were kinda suckered into buying what is called a London Pass for 39 pounds. This granted us access into all the locations we visited and paid for itself. There were many more features with the pass I wish we would have had time to utilize...next time! With food, travel and entertainment I spent right around 150 pounds. With the exchange rate right around $1.80, that equals out to about $270 bucks. Not bad, but more than I think I probably spent...mom? Anyway, London was awesome! I can’t wait to make it back to the United Kingdom and see more!