After a very long flight, we finally arrived at Heathrow airport in London, England! While most of us were exhausted, having slept very little on the plane, we jumped into things right away to beat back the jet lag!
After meeting our tour guide, Philippa Owens, we took a bus (or rather, a coach, as the British would say) into the heart of London. Philippa gave us a wonderful introduction to the city, as we drove by some of the most important places in London. We stopped for lunch, where I got to have my first experience using pounds, and then stopped by the Victoria and Albert Museum for a quick look around, before continuing on our bus tour.
Victoria and Albert Museum
While we were driving around London, I was struck by the beauty of the city and it’s architecture. Many of the buildings seemed like they should belong in Paris, which I suppose shouldn’t have been so surprising to me, since London is such an old city. It was also very interesting to see some of the newer buildings put into place after damage done by World War II and the blitz. Living in America, it is easy to forget how so many people were affected by the war in such a direct way.
The Eye of London
Once our bus tour was complete, we arrived at our hotel in the Kensington area, and got settled in. After a brief rest, a group of us decided to go explore the nearby Kensington Gardens. This was a beautiful park surrounding Kensington Palace, the home of William and Kate when they are in London. As I will eagerly (and dorkily) tell anyone around, gardens and parks are my happy place, so I loved being able to relax and take a stroll around the park. We were able to see Kensington Palace, the Prince Albert Memorial, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Princess Diana Memorial. It was a beautiful first day in London, and I wanted to take advantage of it!
After such a busy first day in London, I decided to turn in early and rest up for tomorrow. I can’t wait to experience so many new things in London this next week!
Kensington Gardens
Prince Albert Memorial