London Trip: Day 1

What a trip! Last year my mom asked us girls, my sister Kim and sister Allison and myself if we wanted to go on a girls trip to New York. An extended weekend trip to see a bunch of plays, some shopping, etc. Of course we jumped at the chance. While she was checking prices and planning the trip she discovered it would be about the same price, well... a little more, to go to London. So we did it! We left from Ada early, early Wednesday morning for Dallas. We flew from Dallas to Charlotte, North Carolina and then on to London.

Here is Allison, pumped for the trip. She turned 17 the day after we got home. I can't believe she's so old and so pretty. Also I can't believe that I have been out of high school now for 17 years.

Where on Earth does the time go?

In Dallas, Kim noticed this cutie. She googled him to make sure it was him... and she was right. His name is Casey James, he was on American Idol a few years ago. Allison is a fan so she introduced herself and asked for a picture. He was a doll.

He was also on our flight which made the almost 17-year-old a little giddy!

After a long flight we landed at Gatwick Airport just outside London. This is a view of the train station outside the airport. We had to take a 30 minute long train ride, the Gatwick Express, to get to Victoria Station in London.

This is Victoria Train Station in London.

There were a lot of these little flower shops throughout the town. This one was at Victoria Station.

Typical London scene. Red double decker bus and a taxi (the little black car in front).

Mom and Kim trying to figure out what we do next to get to the hotel. Allison taking it all in.

This is the train station. Lovely, historic and under construction.

After a quick nap at the hotel we set out for our first adventure.
Here is Allison with a statue of a horse head in a park near the Marble Arch area of London.

The Marble Arch. The Marble Arch was built by the architect John Nash in 1828. He based his design on the Constantine Arch in Rome. Story is the Arch was meant to be the front gate of Buckingham Palace. But because the Arch was built too narrow, the Queen’s State Coach couldn’t fit through so the arch was moved to where it is now. That part of town is known as Marble Arch. We stayed in that area. Technically it is illegal to walk through the arch since it’s illegal for a commoner to pass through the royal gate. I didn't know that until we got back. I posed for a picture under it.

We hopped on a double decker bus at the Marble Arch for a late afternoon tour of the city.

The British "Union Flag" was flying all over the place in preparation for the Queen Elizabeth's Diabmond Jubilee. The Jubilee is a celebration of her 60 year rule. This is only the second diamond jubilee in the country's history. The first was Queen Victoria's celebration way back in 1897. The Jubilee was taking place the weekend after we left. The locals were super excited about the celebration. The city was decked out in it's version of red, white and blue. Such a cool time to be in London.

The little crowns on the lamp posts signify the location is in the Queen's district.

There were clocks everywhere. This one was at Burberry's along Oxford Street. Oxford Street is famous for it's shopping... amazing shopping that we could not afford. I just sat there drooling  and taking pictures during our bus tour, I also wished I was rich a time or two!

Really? Texas in London? Kim and I took this one for Texas Teddy.

THIS is Trafalgar Square: the 'Heart of London.' It is in central London and as you can see attracts many people, including locals and visitors. It's surrounded by many historic buildings, of course everything there is surrounded by amazing buildings, each with its own rich history.

Tafalgar Square has been home to this Countdown to the Olympics display for the past year. We missed the games by a few months.

More of the square.

Parliment and Big Ben as seen from the bus tour.

The Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge was built in 1894 when east London became overcrowded. The bridge was built over the Thames (pronounced Tems) River to expand the city. The lower level of the bridge splits and open so that large vessels, like cruise ships, can make their way up and down the river. The upper part of the bridge is a pedestrian walkway. We didn't walk it... kind of wish we would have.

The London Bridge off in the distance. It's the next bridge upstream from the Tower Bridge. 

It's really not that impressive, especially compared to the Tower Bridge.

A Diamond Jubilee banner covering a building under construction along the Thames. There will be a huge river parade with the Queen riding down the river during the Jubilee so they have really tiddied up the area. Her majesty had yet been unveiled from this display during our bus tour.

The Tower of London. This is where the Crown Jewels are held. It has A LOT of history which I will get more into during Day 2's blog! ;-) For now, it's one of the royal palaces... and it's amazing!

Bus tour at sunset. My sisters are "lovely," "quite literally" - especially when backlit.

A pretty hotel with a pretty doorman and pretty greenery which was everywhere in England. Such a lush and beautiful country. These circle shrub things are amazing...

Rather than saying "Watch" this or that like we do in the states, the warning signs and sayings used "mind." Mind the Gap = Watch your Step and Mind your Head = Watch your Head, etc.

This sign was on the tour bus.  

After the tour we went to a pub near our hotel, which was across from Hyde Park and down the street from the Marble Arch. We all ate fish and chips and the three oldest had a pint (or two) of a blonde beer of some sort. With full bellies, and tired bodies - we walked to the hotel and crashed for the night. Afterall, day two was coming fast and we wanted to try to get a jump on the jet lag. More on Day 2 soon!