In May 2011 I went with a group of students from Howard Payne University and we went to London. This might not a "true" vacation as I went with a group from school and I also got college credit in some classes for going. However, I am counting it as a vacation because I had the most amazing time of my life there!
I am from a small town of 800 people and growing up I had left the state a couple of times but I had never left the country AND I had never flown on an airplane. #smalltownproblems
It was the beginning of my freshmen year (2010) when I learned about this London trip. I knew right away I was going. My family & Adrian supported me as I worked very hard to make enough money for it. I knew this would probably be a once in a life time trip for this small town girl.
I joined a group of other students that I did not know and set off on this big adventure! We were going to be gone for 10 days. We left on a Sunday Morning VERY early as we had a 7 hour trip to Houston, where we would be flying out of.
It is sad when these ten days were the longest amount of time that Adrian and I have been away from each other. Needless to say I was missing him!
Thankfully we had a non-stop flight all the way to London. I was so nervous as I had never flown before but I ended up loving it. I do not recommend your first flight being from Texas to Europe though.
I made friends with this sweet girl, Lindsey.
When we got to London we checked in at our hotel ran by this sweet older couple. In the hotel there were four floors and there was only one bathroom per floor. I shared a room with two other girls and there is not any air conditioning in the hotel. After we got settled in we went to the British Museum. There was so much stuff to do there and so many amazing things to see.
The British Museum
Me on the first day filling a little jet lagged.
We then took a double decker bus tour.
Big Ben
I cannot tell you the correct order we did things because it was a crazy ten days!
We went to the British Library. I loved that place soooo much!
We could not take pictures inside but they had this cute bench that looked like a book where people could take pictures.
We took the underground (subway) most of the time. Let me just say that coming from a town of 800 people to riding on a subway with probably 800 people on there was very scary for me. It took me to the second to last day to be comfortable on there.
This was one of my favorite memorials.
Tower Bridge
Countdown to the Olympics
The Roman Wall
Westminster Abbey
I was sooo excited to see the gift shop that had all of the William & Kate things. We were there two weeks after their weeding and it was perfect!
I was super excited to get a program from the Royal wedding :)
Me at Hampton Court
There were some beautiful flowers at Hampton Court.
This is where King Henry VIII lived. This is where I learned all of Henry VIII wife's.
Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived
We took a two hour train ride to the Roman Baths.
This was a very interesting place.
I got to go see Les Miserables on stage and it was awesome.
This is the Princess Diana Memorial
Me with Peter Pan
At the WWII Museum
Me at Windsor Castle
Lindsey and I at Windsor Castle
Us watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
Me on a different day in front of Buckingham Palace
We went to Parliament
We went to the Tower of London
Guarding the Crown Jewels
Fish and Chips
About to go on the London Eye
It had been raining off and on all day and I looked great ha ha
View from up top of the London Eye.
By far my FAVORITE part of the trip was climbing up over 500 stairs to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life.
Up at the very top
I will forever treasure this moment
View down below
This was me half way up
View from the top
We went to Greenwich to the Prime Meridian but you had to pay to go stand over it and it was not worth our $20 American dollars.
Me in Greenwich
There was a Burger King right down from our hotel that we would go to for fee wi-fi and we all found this to be funny.
We did a lot more that I don't know where my pictures are. We went to the London Zoo, went and saw Phantom of the Opera on stage, went to Jane Austin's Home, the National Portrait Gallery and more.
I had the best time of my life in London and would go back in a heart beat! I had so much to bring back that I gave away clothes and thew anything else that I could live without to have enough room in my luggage. When my luggage got weighed at the air port it was 49 pounds! I just barley made it in under 50 pounds.
I was happy to come home to my family and live the simple life with way less people around. When I got back from my trip Adrian surprised me with a new bike because I had been wanting one. I think he missed me :)
I cannot wait to see everyone's favorite vacations. Sorry this was soooo long I just cannot help but share how amazing London was for this country girl.
XOXO ~ JulieAnn
I've always wanted to go to London! Looks like you had a blast, and I'm so jealous of your Royal Program! :)
ReplyDeleteI did too! I had a blast. It was only $4 American dollars and one of my favorite things I bought! Thanks for stopping by!
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