Trip to England: Day 4

We woke up very early the next morning to catch a train to London. We were all tired and already sore from all the walking we had done the days before, but that soon changed when Dawn screamed out "They killed Bin Laden!" from her room. The UK is 5 hours ahead and we were up around 4-5 a.m., which would be about the time that the US announced that they had killed Osama. After hearing the news, we were a little scared of going to London, since terrorist do target that city. But we made sure we had our passports and emergency contacts with us and headed out.

We took a small train from Chester to Crewe (which is apparently known mainly for its railroads) and then caught an awesome Virgin train to London. Amtrak has nothing on these Virgin trains! They are so quiet and fast...I wish Richard Branson could bring some of that to the US.

The train arrived in London right on time...literally, the minute we pulled up was the same minute we arrived (Are you listening, Amtrak?!). We made our way to a McDonald's to grab a drink and snack. It was cool to see their menus. Pretty much the same, but more tea, Cadbury chocolates and brown sauce.

Next we headed to Buckingham Palace and noticed the changing of the guards was about to take place. We got a decent spot, took in all of the royal wedding decorations, scaffolding and media tents that were still up and watched the Queen's Guards march. After the changing of the guards, they open up the streets to pedestrians, so we got to walk around the Victoria Memorial statue and get our pictures in front of the palace and gates. The balcony was still open from when Kate and William kissed.

Luke and I at Buckingham Palace

We walked the Mall and St. James Park and then went to Trafalgar Square to grab some lunch and people watch. After some nice bistro sandwiches we headed turned down on Parliament St./Whitehall St. and I gasped...there was Big Ben—just like in Peter Pan. The enormity of that building was so surprising. It was by far my favorite building in London.

Big Ben and Parliament St. from Trafalgar Square

We strolled along the street, taking in all of the government buildings, including the prime minister's home (10 Downing Street), which was surrounded by a ton of security. We also visited the Horse Guards building...we tried to get a photo of Luke and I with the guard/horses...looks like the horse was a bit of a turd that day.

The guard's horse was acting up. I'm sure we weren't allowed to touch the horse or something...
just call us stupid Americans ;)

Warren also found a couple double-decker buses and suggested we get our photos in front of one. When he saw the bus driver talking to another, he asked if we could get in the bus. Best.Idea.Ever!! As a result of his awesome idea, we got one of our favorite photos from the trip:

Luke and I having fun on a double-decker bus

We finally made our way to Big Ben, House of Parliament and the Westminster Abbey. The Abbey has a massive line wrapped around the entire church of people waiting to see where Will and Kate were wed just a few days earlier. We decided a tour of the Abbey would be a great second-trip option :)

Westminster Abbey. And yes, that is only a fraction of the line to get into the church.

After all that walking, we found a great little park just south of House of Parliaments. We took a breather, had some snacks and planned out our next leg of the trip. We crossed Lambeth Bridge and headed toward the London Eye. As we were walking, we got glimpses of London's financial district. It is cool how the old and new architecture meet in that area. After hanging out around Jubilee Gardens and Waterloo Station, we made our way to Covent Gardens to check into our rooms. We were staying at the Travelodge, which is kinda like the Travelodge in America, but more simplistic. Definitely a place with just the essentials, which was perfect for us. And it was cheap. Dawn and Warren know us so well! :D

A long nap was in order, so we went to our rooms, watched some TV and got ready for dinner. Dawn and Warren had been to Golden Dragon in London Chinatown in Leicester Square before, so we headed over there. After dinner, we strolled around Chinatown and the West End (theater district) and then headed back to the hotel for some good sleep. Even after all that sight-seeing, we still had some more things to see...and places to shop!