London Town, Day 2 & 3

And here are the snapshots from day 2 and the morning of day 3 before we caught our flight back to Gouda. (There is so much I want to share I am finding it hard to choose between all of the photos!)

The Tower of London

Henry VIII's armor

The White Tower

Do you think this hat will catch on in Charlotte?

The Tower

We embraced our inner tourist spirits and boarded "the eye".

Here we are!

Westminster Abbey, perhaps my most celebrated moment in London. Not only is it aesthetically stunning, but we made the acquaintance of a Westminster Abbey staff member who walked me through the details of the royal wedding. We also saw the burial sites of literary giants such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning and also Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. 

Chad waiting on lunch (free from the cold and rain) at the Dickens Inn next to St. Katherine's Docks. Fun Fact: Dickens Inn was built by Charles Dickens' great grandson.

That was one giant (yummy) latte to warm me up.

Chad beside Tower Bridge in Olympic dress

The Natural History Museum was just a two minute walk from our hotel (and free!).

That was one large dinosaur!

The museum featured an Animal Inside Out exhibit, similar to Bodies. This here was camel.

And strange armored ... thing.

Bought some goodies from this small shop.

Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner.

A day's worth of site-seeing makes a girl hungry.

Another favorite spot: Millennium Bridge. Here, looking south at Tate Modern

Looking north here at St. Paul's 

A closer view-we climbed to the top of that dome.

I had to walk up the stairs quite quickly to keep up with the senior citizens in front of me! 

Stay tuned for more.

K+C

London Town, Day 1

My favorite city to date, London. A quick train ride from Cambridge to central London provided us with two and a half days to have a "jolly good time". Thankfully, I am familiar with London-speifically the underground and bus system-which made it easier to see and do so much. Here are some snapshots...

Our underground stop.

Why hello there Buckingham Palace.

Yay! The sun came out!

As did the new guards.

Posing with our new friend, Big Ben.

I might surrender my cell phone if I could make calls from these all the time.

Trafalgar Square from the National British Museum's steps. You can't see it much from this shot, but the entire square looked much different in wake of the Olympic preparations.

Classic Piccadilly Circus

Abbey Road!

Oh yes, we did...

It was quite embarrassing, but good fun as well. 

Royal Albert Hall

Catching up with the newlywed.

Six years ago this is where I lived while studying for a summer semester abroad...14 Queens Gate. 

Victoria and Albert Museum

The field of champions.

Covent Garden

As you can tell, these art rendered phone booths covered the town. Various local artists created their own designs. I got a good chuckle out of this one.

I LOVED watching him discover London.

"Do you know the muffin man..."

All this on just the first day explains why I was in bed by 9 pm. Stay tuned for more...

K + C

Welcome to Cambridge

Chad and I have changed the name of our trip from "vacation" to "adventure". To take in as much as possible we find ourselves walking, quite literally, all day long. At the end of the day I am getting a glimpse as to what my body may feel like in another 40 years or so. (Note to self: work out A LOT more!)

So...to Cambridge we went! Many thanks to my brother-in-law Weston for the recommendation. I know we have several friends who have wandered Cambridge's streets and I hope the following photos bring back fond memories. For those who have yet to visit, I hope your next adventure is sparked.

Facing north, in front of King's College. 

A typical Cambridge street.

Our plan to punt down the river quickly dissolved when we discovered the river's swelling made the bridge clearance too minimal to punt without impending danger. The Anchor pub lost its outdoor dining area to the overflowing river banks.

Rumor has it Isaac Newton, student at Cambridge University, planted this apple tree. I believe the meager size suggests otherwise.

The mathematical bridge. 

This majestic chapel belongs to King's College.

The vaulted ceilings were spectacular. Forgive me as these photos don't do the architecture justice.

The oak organ screen concealed both the organ and the choir from the worshipers. Though the worshipers heard the music, they never saw those who created it. 

The grounds at King's College.

Chad and me on the south side of the chapel (in the cold and rain...I actually miss the sweltering heat of home.)

As you can see, The Eagle-where we dined-boasts the location of where the discovery of DNA was revealed (not the actual scientific work, but the announcement).

Onward to London town....

K + C