London Calling

This time last year hubby and I were returning from a trip to London.  We hopped on a cheap and very short flight (2 hours, yay!) and met Eddie for a long weekend.  It was our first adventure outside of Italy and we've been addicted to exploring Europe ever since. 

Some highlights...

Westminister Abbey
Massive and beautiful, with many neat tombs and tons of history.

Big Ben

Iconic and intricate.  I couldn't help but think of the scene in European Vacation when Clark Griswald is stuck in a traffic circle and keeps calling out "Big Ben, Houses of Parliament" over and over, every time they pass them.   "Big Ben, kids!"

Trafalgar Square

Very lively square with artists, street performers, and on-lookers.  There were tons of lion statues and tourists possing with them... 

National Gallery
Free.  Unheard of for my museum experience in Italy.  Incredible art including a large exhibit featuring Picasso.  It was lit up beautifully at night with projections of his work. 

The Eye
Gigantic ferris wheel that makes one revolution every half hour.  We rode at dusk and were treated to the sunset and amazing views of London from the top including Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and the Thames.

The Tower of London
History and medieval architecture everywhere.  The crown jewels are on display here with guards posted outside.  They are elaborate and maybe a little excessive...

Tower Bridge
Another icon of London.  We did the ultimate but fun cliche - riding over it in a red double-decker bus.

The Underground
Mind the Gap.

Many, many pubs
Beer is expensive in Italy and not so good unless it is imported, say from.... Germany.  It was nice have to "cheaper" and beter beer options.  I noted that it was very smooth and easy to drink.  The wooden beams/paneling was a classic recurring pub theme and provided that homey feeling matching perfectly with good friends and good beer.