One Day Whirlwind Tour of London!

Running around London in 10 hours!

My last day in Europe! BooHoo! I woke up at 7am and got right out to the subway into Central London! It was really cold, windy and rainy..but I was a trooper..

This blog is going to be a bunch of videos and pictures.. I am far too beat to write as it is 12:30am BUT ALAS, I am dedicated to you, my blog fans..! I will come back to this and edit it more..

(my hair however was not trooping as it is in the awkward growing out frizzy weather and wind stage, pardon the hot mess)

I have so much to say and stories to tell! for now, enjoy!

London Tower Bridge

Big Ben and The Parliament

Westminster Abbey

Tower Of London

Remember the picture I snuck in Bucks palace? I did in the crown jewels too! A big no-no!

The London Eye

Can you see me? Tourrrisstt...

London DUCK TOURS!

Sunsets on Buckingham Palace

Piccadilly Circus

OK! I am going to sleep! I have 11 hours of flying tomorrow!

More to come... God Save The Queen. 

Windsor Castle!

Today I had to part from my dear Amy, we woke up at 8am and she drove me to the East Midlands Airport by 9am... It was so sad to say our "byes for now" after a month of being stuck together. I honestly had the time of my life with her and it will be a few days of getting used to not being around her. I need to give a "shout out" to her and thank her for everything. Her home, Her food, Her friendship, Her time! I would not have been able to do any of this without her love and support! I love you so much, Amy!!!

(I will do an Amy and Christopher blog wrap up soon!)

OK.. so I took a 3 hour bus ride down to London, a trolley to Heathrow Airport, then a shuttle to my hotel. After checking in I immediately went right back out to catch a bus to Windsor. I have to say that so far, Windsor has been my favorite part of England. It is a beautiful place, super clean, posh, classic, lovely all around. When I got off the train I could see the magnificence of Windsor Castle from the train landing.

I worked my way through Windsor Station, The Royal Shopping Market...And out onto the main road where it was just lined with the massiveness of the castle walls.
You can see some views here:  Windsor Castle

Below is the Queens train, stationed at Windsor Station

Sadly, I was just shy of getting in for a tour, I didn't make the last group.. so I had to walk around the outside rather than go inside...Which was fine by me as I had already been IN Buckingham Palace!

Her Majesty the Queen was in residence at Windsor, she was right inside!

queen victoria statue outside

 

 

 
Below is a video of me at the main gate...

A view from above to give you an idea of the size!

I had dinner all by myself at a place called "The King and Castle"

This was my view from my table!

British Meat Ale Mushroom Pie with Mash

My Last Week In England

Sadly this is my last week here in England. I had planned on staying longer but I was mis-lead by the airlines with the change of flight prices, they had based my question on 1st class, not coach.. tricky. So with that it would have cost $480.00 to change my ticket, I paid $579.00 round trip so there was noway I was going to pay that or buy another ticket. Wah Wah. SO I am heading back to America on October 20th. 

As you know, cars here have the steering wheel on the right side (our passenger side) and brits drive on oppisite sides of the road. I cant tell you how many times Ive almost been hit by a car because I looked the wrong way when crossing the road! Also random, the escalators up and down are on opposite sides as ours, and I am a silly American each time I am at the mall and begin to step onto the stairs coming downwards..

Plugs here are different they are 3 pronged and each outlet has an on/off switch to be eco friendly! I had to use an adapter plug to use my laptop and so forth.

Money was confusing to learn, but I finally got it.. There are no 1 dollar (pound) bills (notes), they are in coin form.. I took a picture of my pocket change to show you below....left to right.

 QUEEN COUNTDOWN!

one pent,two pent,5pent,10pent,1 pound,2 pound,10 pound

Clocks! They are on 24 hour time, it has been so confusing figuring out what time it is.. the picture below is a bit simple to figure out, but when the hour is like 16:34, I have to count..

At the mall they have the usual fast food kinda stuff and I refuse to eat it! Fish and Chips is popular, so is pies and mash.. below is a lunch I had in the food court

 "Asparagus and Mushroom pie with a side of mash"

One of my discoveries was another of the nations songs.. "Rule Brittania", It has a really uplifting sound to it, the beginning is a bit slow so if you want to get to my favorite part, fast forward it to 

(:48 seconds) Rule Britannia!

The television has all the American shows there can be. The British shows are so funny and after 9pm television is permitted to show nudity and swear! I was so shocked when watching E! and I saw boobs and the "f" word! 
There is one show that is really funny.."Katy Brands Big Ass Show", she imitates alot of American actors, Musicians and of cours, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth! Its a bit off color and usually so funny, I was unable to really find a clip of the more funny skits but I was able to find one on youtube where the queen is talking to her 5 children about the effort they put into the Monarchy, see clip below

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ii

GodSaveTheQueen

Im sure many of you know that I am a fan of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd. As far back as I can remember I have always been somewhat fascinated with her and over time have read about 12 or so biographies of her life and reign thus far. When people ask me why, I really do not know what to say other than " I respect her for the dedication, respect and duty that she has given over her 60 year reign" - And there is always the magical/fantasy image that A Queen exists outside of fairy tales. As a Princess at 25 years old her father died which put her quickly to a life dedication on the throne ruling over not only England but many other domains as well.
I must make it clear though that I am not a fan of the Royal Family, I have little respect for the way they have lowered the tradition and respect of the British Monarchy, and with that I will not follow nor pay any mind to the remaining generations of the royals after the Queen herself has passed on - especially when Prince Charles takes the throne. "God Save The King" does not flow well in my book or song.
Queen Elizabeth ii

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth the 2nd (Queen Elizabeth the 1st, was the virgin queen).
Her coronation was held at Wesminster Abbey and given the times, the footage below was stunning.
Queen Elizabeth ii - Coronation
Our American National Anthem shares the same tune as the British National Anthem, as we are close in culture and relations. Many of you have heard me sing this song, or say "god save the queen!".
British National Anthem

It was surreal visiting Buckingham Palace, it is still a blur.. honestly, I cant believe I went in.. It literally is a blur. I usually visit the British Monarchys website during the week to read up on what is happening and see the current event pictures, you can visit the site below.
The British Monarchy     

 (I really wanted to look great in front of Bucks,

 alas it was really hot and I was a sweaty mess!)

Earlier this year I decided to write a letter to the Queen expressing my respect and admiration for her and to my delight I received a reply!

I have RSVP'd to attend The Queens Diamond Jubilee in the year 2012 where 

her majesty will reach her 60th year on the throne at the age of 85! 

After winning the 2009 election, President and Michelle Obama met

 Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace.

Below is one of my favorite photos taken of The Queen,

taken by famed photographer,

annie leibovitz. 

What strikes me most of this photo is that fairy tale image of

a princess stuck in a castle from birth to death.

"I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else - I can give my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations"

Queen Elizabeth ii