Today we met up with Chelsey to ride the London Eye. Its basically a big ferris wheel encased in glass that gives you amazing views of the entire city, especially those historic sites along the River Thames. We were lucky that today was such a beautiful and clear morning so we could see everything.
After that we wandered around until we found a great Italian restaurant to eat lunch at. We then headed over to Bond Street for some shopping. We found some really great chocolate shops and silver/antique shops that were great and they're all mixed in with the top fashion and jewelry stores (Louis Vuitton, Chanel, De Beers, Tiffany & Co, etc.) Everything here closes rather early (around 6) so we ended up leaving around 5:00 to head back to the hotel. After dropping Chelsey off at her flat, which is in a gorgeous location much better than where I'm going to be living, Mom and I ended up just staying in again tonight.
Tomorrow we plan to go visit Windsor Castle which I'm sure will be beautiful and highly informative.
-audrey
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Day 4.0
Today started off not being too cold but it quickly got to be easily our coldest day here. We started off going to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Wow, this place is HUGE and has so much art, jewelry, textiles and much much more. In all we probably spent about 3 hours here, most of which was spent in the jewelry exhibit. All I can say is I want it all - SO much gorgeous jewelry from such a long time ago (they had perfectly preserved jewels from the 1600s)! From there we decided to grab a quick bite to eat at the restaurant inside the museum (I had roast turkey with potatoes and my mom had roast lamb -- the best "quick service" meal I've ever had).
Our next stop was Westminster Abbey. This place is magnificently beautiful. Words simply cannot do it justice but I'll try. We decided to do the guided tour and luckily we only had 1 other women with us! The Abbey was believed to originally be built in 960 in a part of London that was then an island. King Edward (later named Saint Edward the Confessor) in 1065 began construction to enlarge and richly endow the church. However the building we see today is not that built by King Edward. King Edward was eventually buried in his abbey in 1066. Todays abbey, built in the French Gothic style, was completely rebuilt piece by piece on the orders of King Henry III between 1245 and 1272. During that time the King ran out of funds and in some parts of the abbey it is quite obvious - the ornate detail simply stops with about 100yards of marble arches left unadorned.
About 3,300 people are buried in the Abbey including Kings Edward, Henry III, Henry V, Queen Elizabeth I along with her half sister Queen Mary I (their father was King Henry III, Elizabeth's mother was Ann Boleyn). Although not buried at Westminster there are shrines to great authors in the poets corner including William Shakespeare.
We learned all about the ceremonies that occur during such events as coronation and weddings. Normally seating around 2,200 people during Queen Elizabeth II coronation extra seating was built and over 8,000 were in attendance! Whenever attending services at the abbey (which the Queen does about 3 times a year) she has a special seat in the quire next to where the choir sits. The Queen is the only person of the royal family allowed to sit in this seat and even if she is not in attendance the seat is left empty unless the Dean of the Abbey sits there. Well, can I just tell you that WE got to sit in her chair!!!! The tour guide says he has never allowed anyone to do so before but because there were only the 3 of us on the tour he didn't see a problem with letting us sit in her chair for a quick moment. Now how many people can say that?!!
Over all the tour took about 90 min. but I'm sure we could have spent much longer in there! It is defiantly a must see for anyone visiting London, even if you aren't religious, it's just AMAZING.
The rest of our day was pretty boring after that, we just ended up heading back to the hotel and eating room service for dinner - I was so tired and SO cold. Tomorrow we're going to ride the Eye and hit up Bond and Oxford streets for some shopping so that will be load of fun I'm sure!
-audrey
Our next stop was Westminster Abbey. This place is magnificently beautiful. Words simply cannot do it justice but I'll try. We decided to do the guided tour and luckily we only had 1 other women with us! The Abbey was believed to originally be built in 960 in a part of London that was then an island. King Edward (later named Saint Edward the Confessor) in 1065 began construction to enlarge and richly endow the church. However the building we see today is not that built by King Edward. King Edward was eventually buried in his abbey in 1066. Todays abbey, built in the French Gothic style, was completely rebuilt piece by piece on the orders of King Henry III between 1245 and 1272. During that time the King ran out of funds and in some parts of the abbey it is quite obvious - the ornate detail simply stops with about 100yards of marble arches left unadorned.
About 3,300 people are buried in the Abbey including Kings Edward, Henry III, Henry V, Queen Elizabeth I along with her half sister Queen Mary I (their father was King Henry III, Elizabeth's mother was Ann Boleyn). Although not buried at Westminster there are shrines to great authors in the poets corner including William Shakespeare.
We learned all about the ceremonies that occur during such events as coronation and weddings. Normally seating around 2,200 people during Queen Elizabeth II coronation extra seating was built and over 8,000 were in attendance! Whenever attending services at the abbey (which the Queen does about 3 times a year) she has a special seat in the quire next to where the choir sits. The Queen is the only person of the royal family allowed to sit in this seat and even if she is not in attendance the seat is left empty unless the Dean of the Abbey sits there. Well, can I just tell you that WE got to sit in her chair!!!! The tour guide says he has never allowed anyone to do so before but because there were only the 3 of us on the tour he didn't see a problem with letting us sit in her chair for a quick moment. Now how many people can say that?!!
Over all the tour took about 90 min. but I'm sure we could have spent much longer in there! It is defiantly a must see for anyone visiting London, even if you aren't religious, it's just AMAZING.
The rest of our day was pretty boring after that, we just ended up heading back to the hotel and eating room service for dinner - I was so tired and SO cold. Tomorrow we're going to ride the Eye and hit up Bond and Oxford streets for some shopping so that will be load of fun I'm sure!
-audrey
UK Mobile Number
Just wanted to post my UK mobile number incase any of you want it so we can talk/text. It's 07970813001.
Off to do more touristy things today!
-audrey
Off to do more touristy things today!
-audrey
Day 3.0
Today was such a great day here in London! First I started with a 90 minute hot stone massage, and even though I had to wake up at 8:00 to get it the early morning was well worth it (8 isn't even that early really so yay!). Let me just say this: come to London, stay at the Lanesborough, and go get this massage - you will LOVE it.
From there mom and I spent the entire rest of our afternoon at my new favorite place - Harrods. Oh my gosh this place is AMAZING. All 5 stories plus the basement level are filled with every item you could possible imagine, from clothing to shoes to home ware and kitchen appliances it is INSANE. There is even the hall of foods - basically a gigantic grocery store IN THE MIDDLE of the building. They offered everything from produce to meats and fish to prepared foods and flowers. I guess the best way to sum it up is with this statement - they have ENTIRE pigs in their butcher shop, they're in pieces (but the head is on display) but still, any part of the pig you want you can find at Harrods.
After about 4 1/2 hours of shopping it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for an amazing dinner. As some of you may know my friend Chelsey, who I've known since kindergarten, is also studying in London so we got to go out with her tonight. My freshman english teacher Marilyn Todd's (who I must say i just love and still keep in touch with on a pretty regular basis) son Ryan lives here in London. He graciously offered us advice and help during our time here and we met him tonight at the restaurant as well. We ate at La Boudin Blanc, a really cute french bistro type place and the food was great.
After that we just ended up going back to the hotel and talking for a bit until Chelsey and Ryan went home and I decided I should write down what I did today so I don't forget. I already am finding the days running together and I want to make sure I remember as much of this experience as possible! Mom took pictures today but I'm not sure if they'll make it onto facebook...maybe I can do that for her sometime before she leaves.
-audrey
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Day 2.0
Today started with a quick breakfast in the room before mom and I were off. We went to the Tower of London first, way cool. There was a guided tour with a beefeater (yes, he does eat beef) followed by a trip through one of the towers to see the Crown Jewels. I must say, as a lover of all jewelry I was disappointed. I thought there would be a lot more jewels to see, even though what we did see was absolutely amazing I just assumed there would be more. It was really cold and sprinkling/sleeting a bit so we tried not to be outside much but at the Tower that is kind of hard to do. All together we probably spent about 1 1/2 hours there before grabbing a quick lunch at a nearby restaurant.
From lunch we decided it was time to do some jewelry shopping of our own and quickly got in a traditional London Taxi who graciously took us to Hatton Garden, THE place for jewelry shopping. The first shop we went into specializes in Antique and Estate Jewelry, right up my alley (www.berganza.com). Of course the first item I asked to see was what I though to be a simple pearl and diamond necklace (ok, it wasnt simple but I didnt think it would be too extravagant). Boy was I wrong. Not only was the necklace from the 1910s and made with real sea pearls of course it was strung on platinum. OF COURSE. The time came to find out the price and it cost...get ready..18,500 pounds (that's just under $30,000). Needless to say I wasn't allowed to get the necklace :[ For those interested if you go to the website above for the store and type in item number 11199 you can see for yourself how absolutely gorgeous this timeless piece of jewelry is. One day I'm going to buy it. When I marry my prince and get married in a castle.
We wandered into the next jewelry shop where I found another beautiful necklace, this time a diamond and aquamarine necklace. Thankfully this one was in our price range and the store even offered to lower the price, so I was able to get it as an early 21st birthday gift. It's from the 1920's and I love it, even though it isn't the pearl/diamond necklace it is still BEAUTIFUL and I'm so thankful I was able to get it.
After that adventure we hopped into another taxi and went to Nido Student Living near Kings Cross, which is where I will be living this semester. I move in on Monday anytime after 2:00. It looks like it will be a fun and safe place to live and there are plenty of restaurants nearby. Its comforting to know that I at least know where I will be going Monday, now we need to find were my school is. From there we decided to head back to the hotel which is where I am now just resting until dinner tonight.
We decided to eat at the hotel restaurant which recently received 1 Michelin Star so hopefully it will be great. That's all for now, I've been putting pictures up on facebook since this site won't allow me to, so go take a look at those!
-audrey
From lunch we decided it was time to do some jewelry shopping of our own and quickly got in a traditional London Taxi who graciously took us to Hatton Garden, THE place for jewelry shopping. The first shop we went into specializes in Antique and Estate Jewelry, right up my alley (www.berganza.com). Of course the first item I asked to see was what I though to be a simple pearl and diamond necklace (ok, it wasnt simple but I didnt think it would be too extravagant). Boy was I wrong. Not only was the necklace from the 1910s and made with real sea pearls of course it was strung on platinum. OF COURSE. The time came to find out the price and it cost...get ready..18,500 pounds (that's just under $30,000). Needless to say I wasn't allowed to get the necklace :[ For those interested if you go to the website above for the store and type in item number 11199 you can see for yourself how absolutely gorgeous this timeless piece of jewelry is. One day I'm going to buy it. When I marry my prince and get married in a castle.
We wandered into the next jewelry shop where I found another beautiful necklace, this time a diamond and aquamarine necklace. Thankfully this one was in our price range and the store even offered to lower the price, so I was able to get it as an early 21st birthday gift. It's from the 1920's and I love it, even though it isn't the pearl/diamond necklace it is still BEAUTIFUL and I'm so thankful I was able to get it.
After that adventure we hopped into another taxi and went to Nido Student Living near Kings Cross, which is where I will be living this semester. I move in on Monday anytime after 2:00. It looks like it will be a fun and safe place to live and there are plenty of restaurants nearby. Its comforting to know that I at least know where I will be going Monday, now we need to find were my school is. From there we decided to head back to the hotel which is where I am now just resting until dinner tonight.
We decided to eat at the hotel restaurant which recently received 1 Michelin Star so hopefully it will be great. That's all for now, I've been putting pictures up on facebook since this site won't allow me to, so go take a look at those!
-audrey
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
day 1.0
I'm finally here! After a long and rough flight (especially when we we're over the atlantic near Canada) I am now in my room at our beautiful hotel (the Lanesborough). The plane was super cool and our food on the flight over was delish - I started with grilled prawns in a salad, then I had the lamb shank shepherd's pie followed by a slice of honey almond cheesecake.That was my favorite part--honey should be involved in every desert, its delicious.
Our flight landed around 7:00 am and we made it to the hotel around 10:00. I had ideas of everything I wanted to do today seeing as to how we arrived at the hotel at like 10:00 am...those plans so didn't happen. I fell asleep. until 4:00. So that wasn't really very much fun but now I'm ready to go. I'm sure mom and I will go out to dinner somewhere tonight.
My first impression of London: people are helpful when asked but not very polite. Maybe I'm just used to a different sort of person but not one man allowed me and mom to get on the train at the airport together, everyone is in a race is seemed to get out. Thats fine, I wanted to take my time but its just different than I'm used to. A women dropped something and I noticed but she didn't seem to. I walked over to tell her and she just looked at me, picked it up, and turned around. No thank you. Now thats just weird. Maybe she didn't speak English..who know?!
Anywho if that is the biggest problem I will have to face I know I'm going to LOVE it here. Our taxi driver was a very nice guy who has been to the US 14 times! Thats a lot of times to visit one place. He gave me his business card and let me know that if I need anything, even if it's just to ask a question, to call him and he'll let me know his opinion on things. So, thanks to him!
Well, I'm going to do a bit of unpacking and get ready for dinner, I can't believe my first full day in London will be over in a few short hours. Its amazing.
-audrey
Our flight landed around 7:00 am and we made it to the hotel around 10:00. I had ideas of everything I wanted to do today seeing as to how we arrived at the hotel at like 10:00 am...those plans so didn't happen. I fell asleep. until 4:00. So that wasn't really very much fun but now I'm ready to go. I'm sure mom and I will go out to dinner somewhere tonight.
My first impression of London: people are helpful when asked but not very polite. Maybe I'm just used to a different sort of person but not one man allowed me and mom to get on the train at the airport together, everyone is in a race is seemed to get out. Thats fine, I wanted to take my time but its just different than I'm used to. A women dropped something and I noticed but she didn't seem to. I walked over to tell her and she just looked at me, picked it up, and turned around. No thank you. Now thats just weird. Maybe she didn't speak English..who know?!
Anywho if that is the biggest problem I will have to face I know I'm going to LOVE it here. Our taxi driver was a very nice guy who has been to the US 14 times! Thats a lot of times to visit one place. He gave me his business card and let me know that if I need anything, even if it's just to ask a question, to call him and he'll let me know his opinion on things. So, thanks to him!
Well, I'm going to do a bit of unpacking and get ready for dinner, I can't believe my first full day in London will be over in a few short hours. Its amazing.
-audrey
Saturday, January 23, 2010
48 hours
At this time in 2 days I will be on a plane headed to London and I can not wait! Packing is still taking place and probably will do so until sunday (tomorrow) night. I've already packed 2 bags and no clothing has been packed yet, besides my coats/jacket. That probably isn't the best news but I can take 3 bags and so can my mom so that should help. I'll be pretty busy my first few days in London getting settled but I'll try to update as soon as I have something exciting to say. Hopefully I'll even figure out how to post pictures on here too, that would be much easier than using a separate website for that.
Ok, I've got to go get ready for the last supper (last family dinner) before I leave. Tonight more packing shall commence. Joy.
-audrey
Ok, I've got to go get ready for the last supper (last family dinner) before I leave. Tonight more packing shall commence. Joy.
-audrey
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