The girls
The guys with their Old Fashioneds
The next morning, we walked around the city just enjoying the beautiful weather. We didn't have much on the agenda until our other friends arrived. Once everyone had arrived, we headed out to a market called Old Spitalfields Market, which was one of the better markets I had been to in London. Everyone got something different, as there were many options. Jeff and I enjoyed a great pulled pork sandwich on a bagel. Afterwards, the group split up as some went shopping and some went for a nap. Guess what group I chose? You guessed it, shopping! This market had some amazing clothes, and jewelry. I tried to refrain given we do not have a lot of extra room to bring things back to the states. I ended up buying this fleece jacket and a graphic tank top with a bicycle on it. Others were buying scarves, jackets, shoes, and some souvenirs for friends and family back home. We spent a lot more time than expected in there, and met up with the rest of the group to head to do our tourist attractions for the day.
Artwork that I found hilarious, obviously fits my odd sense of humor
View from the top. Great market!
We made it to the London Eye, where we took the 20-30 minute ride around the big enclosed ferris wheel along the Thames River. I'm not a huge fan of heights, but this was no big deal. Each pod held ~15 people. We were able to walk around, take pictures, and hang out as it went around. It was interesting, as the wheel never stops moving. We had to be quick getting on, as it was still rolling when you get on/off. Now, mind you, it wasn't going overly fast...so it wasn't like we had to run to get on. Afterwards our river boat cruise along the Thames River started. It was beautiful, and a lot of fun to see all of the sights from the water. It was about a 45-minute ride, and got pretty windy at a few points. We learned some new facts about the buildings and London as we rode along.
London Eye
Group shot on the London Eye
Great view of Parliament
We're at the top!
I'm impressed I could get everyone in this shot. On the river boat cruise, now!
Just passing by parliament
Turning around, and heading the other direction on the boat
My favorite building in London
Tower of London. One of Jeff's favorite attractions
Next up was drinks and dinner. We went to this amazing restaurant called Wahaca. You should click on the link to watch the video on the restaurant being built, as old shipping containers make up the building. We hung out the bar, swapping stories, for about an hour and a half before sitting for dinner. Fantastic food, and it reminded me of Bakersfield only with a bit more to choose from. Later on, we headed to a couple pubs in the West End (Theatre District) until heading back to the flat we rented for the weekend. All eight of us were able to stay in the same flat, which made it very convenient and entertaining. Although getting ready in the morning was a bit of a challenge...8 people, 1 bathroom.
Speaking of getting ready in the morning, the next morning quickly approached and we got a bit of a later start to our day. We made it to the Tower of London, and everyone stayed to do this tourist attraction but Jeff and I. We went last may with our friends, Christian and Kristin. We decided not to do it again, as it was a bit pricey and we had other things on our agenda. Jeff and I walked about 5 miles during the day, as it was BEAUTIFUL out. I even got a small suntan! We walked down by the river, grabbed some sandwiches at one of our favorite spots, Pret a Manger. It is a "fast food" chain, but it is all natural foods. Mostly they carry sandwiches, veggies, fruits, salads, and soups. Hints, why it put the words: fast food in quotes. We took our lunch to Hyde Park and had a picnic in the sun. Well, Jeff was hiding in the shade, but I was in the sun. We had been to Hyde Park before, but not in very deep. It is just like Central Park in terms of size.
Picnic in Hyde Park
The water that runs through Hyde Park.
After our picnic was over, we headed to Kensington Palace. The pictures online were definitely better than the palace in person. We were going to head inside, but decided against it as it was fairly expensive and it appeared to not be worth it. We decided to go find the Princess Diana fountain instead. This was not an ordinary fountain, as it looking like a man-made creek. The fountain is supposed to represent Diana's life. People of all ages had their shoes off and were walking all the way around it. Jeff and I both took our shoes off and put our feet in the freezing water for a few seconds. It felt painfully great, as my feet were sore from all the walking.
Beautiful gardens at the palace
Kensington Palace is where William & Kate live
The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain was really hard to capture via picture. You can see the kids walking through the FREEZING cold water.
Before meeting up with our friends, we took a short nap in Hyde park, enjoying the warmth and sunshine. We met up with our friends and headed to Piccadilly Circus (the Times Square of London). We grabbed some Pimm's, which is a famous British drink. Many enjoy it at special occasions like, Wimbledon. I think everyone enjoyed trying the drink, and of course we order a few bowls of chips (french fries). We headed back towards the flat, and decided to grab dinner to eat in for the night. It was a lot of fun, sitting around chatting, and playing games. We were planning to head back out for the night, but never made it there! Ha!
We will definitely miss our friends, but it was nice to be able to say "See you next month", as it is hard to believe we have a handful of weekends left before the big move. I might be able to add a few more pictures over the next couple weeks, as we all trade pictures. Thanks, Khalie for already sending me a few!!
After all of our friends went their separate ways (Cambridge, Indianapolis, and Paris), we headed out to Heathrow to welcome our next 5 visitors! Jeff's family arrived on Monday, and will be here for the next week+. We were able to get them to their hotel, grab a quick lunch, and lead a walking tour before Jeff and I headed back to Nottingham. We were able to show them the London Eye, Parliament (& Elizabeth Tower), Westminster Abbey, St. James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, and finish up with a pint at a local pub. We parted ways, and kudos to them for not napping! I'm sure they were exhausted. We look forward to seeing them later this week to show off our "home town". Look out for another blog post on that next week!
Lori, I stole this one off your Facebook. I'll have to get the rest from you later! :)
On to the next adventure...
