London Day TWO

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Another day to wake up to the noise of the city of London outside the window. Today we had planned to see all the the Royal parts of London in Westminster along with a few more tourist locations.

As we hop back onto the tube we began to make our way to the Westminster stop. As we began to walk out of the station we see a chained fence and a tan building next to it. We began to walk a few more steps up and then we stop on the staircase to look up again. We realize we are standing right next to Big Ben. It was an amazing sight and such a beautiful building. Danika and I were amazed by construction and detail of such a simple tower. We kept walking and trying to get some great pictures when we realize that Big Ben is connected to Westminster Abbey. Here we continue our walk noticing the beautiful, old structures around us. We could not believe how large this one side of Westminster really was.

We then made our way to Buckingham Palace, home of her Majesty. We didn't know that the day before we went someone had jumped the fence and ran inside with a fire extinguisher in hand! We wanted to make it in time to see the changing of the guards ceremony at 11:30. We arrived to the palace at 10:50 only to see swarms of people lined up waiting also. Obviously, Saturday is a busy day to see the Queen. The procession soon began and lasted for half an hour before we decided we did not need to see it all. We than walked around the outside of the Palace and headed toward a cute little park filled with pigeons. There was literally thousands of pigeons flying and walking around everywhere. They were no scared of the people at all and were more than comfortable with getting close to people walking. Let's just say this was the worst part of my study abroad experience!

We then made it through the park to find a fish and chip restaurant right on the outside. Finally we had the chance to try the real fish and chips the British are better known for. Even though the place was a little expensive, the fish was huge and absolutely delicious.

After lunch we headed to the Churchill War Rooms. We took a tour down into the area where Churchill and many others hid during World War II. They did everything in here in order to stay safe from the bombings and find a way to defeat Hitler. This tour was interesting because it was more than just an exhibit but the actual place it happened. In the U.S.A. a lot of the WWII memorabilia is on display at an exhibit so actually being in a country that was damaged by the War really gave a new perspective.

We then walked about a mile to find the London Eye. We only had to wait in line for about 15 minutes before we took the 30 minute ride. The view from the very top was gorgeous and really gave us the chance to see a new side of London. While riding the eye we were able to look over at Westminster and Big Ben. We saw how large Westminster really was and once again went into shock and awe over it.

Once the ride was finally over we went back on the tub and headed back to the hotel. We still had one more thing to cross off our list before we went back in for the night. We had to take our picture in a phone booth. It was so disgusting but it made the trip a little more special knowing we have a phone booth photo. The little things really make up happy even though we were in a beautiful city. We then headed back to the hotel where we feasted on Ben and Jerry's while watching a movie and resting our feet for the next day of the trip.

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