Aug. 12th- London Calling!

I only have a few pictures since my camera died..only temporarily. The battery died! Some pics I did get were off of my phone, but I didn't know how many pictures my phone could hold..so here's what I got.

First we had to get up SUPER EARLY. To walk to the train station..in the dark. And we made it! Yeah! I was thinking of that song Five o Clock in the mornin...

Just a little excited to board....EUROSTAR! Which is a highspeed train to London. Did I mention its the last day of Summer Olympics?!? Whoops! We planned that well. ;)

The boarding station. AAAHHH! I think I was looking forward to London more than anything.

:D

We got kicked out of the Abbey..before we ever even got in! :(

Rode this big Ferris Wheel.....Called the London Eye!

Saw part of the London Marathon....HOLY COW!!!

When we boarded the Eurostar..we went backwards towards London..or we were facing the opposite direction. The other thing about the train was that it somehow went under water through a tunnel. I still don't understand that. All I can say was my ears felt pressure..but we couldn't see water beforehand I just felt the pressure in my ears like I was underwater. It was really amazing. We were there in less than an hour and a half! To be in London felt surreal..and you could feel the excitement of the Olympic games, especially since it was the last day. Since a lot of the roads were closed and you couldn't ride that famous double decker bus..we did the underground subways again. And we survived..I didn't know if we would. But we did great. When we got out, I fell in love..with London. Its so beautiful there!! So green..and we truly had a beautiful day, the weather was perfect. Standing on the grounds of Buckingham Palace was absolutely amazing. There were cameras everywhere of course to film the London Marathon..which happened to be the last olympic event I think. We walked around saw beautiful rivers and greenery..not to mention flowers..and the Buckingham Palace Guards :). We ate in a real British Pub, you put your order in upstairs in the bar then went to eat in the basement area where the dining was. They were all watching the olympics of course. I was impressed by the waiter carrying food down stairs. I would definietly not been graceful, LOL. My fish was as big as a plank. They did not serve it on newspaper. It was yummy. We walked to Westminster Abbey afterwards...it was Sunday and we were not dressed in dresses..they knew we were tourists and wouldn't let us in. So we walked away dejected, and I bought souvenirs instead. I continued in my tradition of salt and pepper shakers..with the matching red phone booth. I loved it. I loved the whole atmosphere. We actually got to see part of the marathon, as we were standing near the Parliment..and Big Ben. Oh, I hope I can get the pictures soon! Anyways, we were stuck with what seemed like a million people..but it was the most amazing feeling to be apart of the crowd for an event like this. I had a couple tears in my eyes. We crawled our way down the bridge, and made our way down to the London Eye. I thought it would be a good thing to do since our time in London was limited and all the traffic..we had some amazing sites. The pod held about 10 people and took about 20 minutes to go around the whole wheel. We did end up riding a double decker bus towards the end..and we made our way down to the train station.

The train station....and the olympic rings.

 

But Choose the Right....

 
Hyde Park..where the concerts were for the closing ceremonies.


We ate British food at a real British Pub. I had Fish n' Chips. The green stuff? Smashed Peas. :/

I LOVE LONDON! These are part of the gardens by Buckingham Palace. Gorgeous.
Big Ben!



I think this was along the route of the marathon. See the flag? Thats atop Buckingham Palace!

I couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy! Thanks Mary Ann for coming and for helping me with some of the pics!

I was waiting at the train station...MaryAnn was playing the piano. I found out that my friend Jessie had passed away on Saturday night. I felt so bad that I couldn't be their to say goodbye. But I had seen and talked with her before I left on my trip. And Jessie did want me to have fun and see Europe. As much as I cried and grieved that night, I resolved I would enjoy and savor the rest of this time on the trip, because you never know how life is going to end up. You have to Find Joy in Your Journey.

God Be With You...Till We Meet Again.

As I discussed earlier my best day..I realised something. First of all, I was nine hours ahead.As I had what was for me my "best day" Jessie, was preparing to leave.The happiness and excitement I felt in London ..I felt a presence with me that day. I like to think it was Jessie. I didn't know until Sunday night, and I grieved..but not for Jessie, her body is whole again and free of pain and I know that we will all be reunited. <3 class="separator" p="p" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">