London

Dave and I had talked about going to London ever since we found out we were moving to Germany. Finally, after being in Europe for two years, we decided to go for a long weekend to celebrate our birthdays. 

We drove to Brussels, Belgium and took a train through the English Channel to London. We arrived in London on Friday evening and decided to hang out at the hotel and grab some food near the hotel because it had already been a long day of traveling for Em. 

The next day our adventure started! On our first day of sightseeing we went to/saw: Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, Parliament Square, took a ride on the London Eye, and walked around Leicester Square. 

Big Ben and the London Eye

 Em and me in front of Big Ben

 View of Big Ben from this amazing little bar, Stephen's Tavern. A friend of mine had pinned a much better photo than this on Pinterest, and after seeing it, I was determined to find this tavern to get a similar photo. Unfortunately, there was a police bus in the picture, and someone else was already sitting at this table where the photo was taken and didn't want to keep bugging them so that I could get that perfect picture. Nonetheless, it was an awesome place to stop at to have a beer, eat some fish 'n chips, and feed little Emily. 

 Here is Dave in front of Westminister Abbey. Photographs weren't allowed to be taken inside, so unfortunately I have none to post. It looks exactly like it did in the video footage from Prince William and Kate's wedding. Yes, that is one of the reasons I wanted to go there. I also wanted to go there because it is full of history and there are many famous people buried there. It was truly amazing to see the fine workmanship that went into creating such a wonderful place. 

 A view of the London Eye from the bridge near Big Ben

 Em slept through the ENTIRE London Eye ride

 Riding the London Eye was an experience we will never forget. The views were absolutely breathtaking! Below is a view of Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminister Abbey. 

After a long day of sightseeing, Emily just wanted to play on the bed back at the hotel.

 The next day, we were off to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Bridge, the Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. 

We arrived at Buckingham Palace about an hour before the Changing of the Guards with hopes of getting a great view... that didn't work out that well for us. It was so busy! Apparently we weren't the only ones who thought that was a good idea. =) 

Buckingham Palace

Us in front of Buckingham Palace

The end of the Changing of the Guards

Next stop, St. Paul's Cathedral. Just like Westminister Abbey, photographs aren't allowed inside St. Paul's so I only have these two from the outside. Also, because we visited on a Sunday, there were no tours available.

 The front of St. Paul's Cathedral

 D at St. Paul's Cathedral

Our next sight to see was the London Bridge. She's not much to look at, but fun to see none the less. We've seen the original that is now in Lake Havasu, AZ plenty of times! 

 Em and me on the London Bridge. Yes, she is sleeping! 

After seeing the London Bridge, we walked along the river on the Thames Path to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. 

Once we got to the Tower of London, Emily woke up and was in need of a diaper change and some food (or so we thought). She definitely needed the diaper change, but was less than interested in drinking her bottle. So, we packed up all of our stuff and headed toward the ticket office to purchase our tickets for the Tower of London. Well, the last tickets are sold at 4:00 pm and we showed up at 4:05 pm! We were so bummed that we weren't going to be able to see the Crown Jewels! We were even more bummed that we wouldn't have time to go back to the Tower of London the next day because we were leaving to go home... 

So instead of having being able to explore the Tower of London, we just took a few pictures in front of it. 

Behind us in this picture is the beautiful Tower Bridge. It is much more picturesque than the London Bridge. The Tower Bridge is where they hung the Olympic Rings this past year. 

 We had about an hour or so to kill before we had to be at the train station to go home, so we were able to squeeze in one more sight. Here is the famous Sherlock Holmes' home, 221b Baker Street! We didn't have that much time, so we unfortunately didn't get to take the tour.  

We had such and AMAZING time in London! I wish we had one more day, but Emily had pretty much had it and was not up for another day of go-go-go-sightseeing. We would love to go back to London if time permits, but don't see that happening.