7/8/16

Today, we started off with a walk toward the bus which was diverted by a little side trip to Herrod’s.  We had no intention of doing any shopping, but we really appreciated the architecture and the grandeur of the building.  The regular maps of London, the City Map, and the maps of the bus company did not match, so we got lost several times.  It was frustrating, but we made it to the bus, just to have to wait half an hour for the guided tour to commence.  It turned out to be a good tour, but with traffic, it is also frustrating that it takes so long.  We hopped off the bus mid-tour so that we could take a walking tour of the area where musicians were highlighted, especially the Beatles.  The walking tour was not easy to find, of course, but we finally found it.  The tour was okay, but lasted an hour and a half, and while I realize I know a lot about the Beatles, I found out that I know a lot more than most people.  I learned very little, but we got to see the studios and small clubs that the Beatles and other awesome musicians performed.

After the tour, we were very hungry and had a hard time finding a place that 1) served food at 3:00pm and 2) could meet the wants of both of us at a reasonable price.  After several stops and much frustration, we went with take-away or take-out from a Mediterranean place.  We took our lunches and tried to find our way back to the bus for the conclusion of the tour.  If you ever visit London, DO NOT try to get around with tour buses and rely on your ability to navigate maps.  Almost every street changes names at each block and most times, the streets aren’t even labeled.  We finally found the bus station and had to wait for at least 20 minutes for the next bus.  We ended up with the same tour guide as before the walking tour, which was good.  We liked him and he really did add some insight to the history of the city as we struggled through traffic.  We hopped off at the Tower of London, but were too late to take an actual tour.  We were able to walk around the grounds and take in the brilliance which is the Tower of London.  It has been one of our favorite sites thus far.  From there, we took the boat, which was also covered in the cost of the bus deal, to the London Eye.  The boat trip was pretty smooth, which was really a nice perk.

From the London Eye, we wanted to try to use the “tube”, which is London’s underground.  After much frustration, yet again, we finally got Oyster passes to get back to the hotel.  Most of the frustration came from the fact that the machines either did not work or they declined our cards because they did not have the “chip” in them.  We really feel as though the public transportation should not just cater to people with cutting edge technology, especially when there are so many flaws with their own machines. 

Anyway, we ended up having a nice evening eating our left-overs from lunch and then we headed out to the little neighborhood right by our hotel.  We met a really nice Swedish fellow names David, who is studying to be a teacher in England.  We had a great time talking Harry Potter, beer, and movies with David and then we headed in for the night.  We hope to have a better experience tomorrow in actual London through using the “tube” in lieu of the bus. J

Beginnings

As we are typing this, we are currently sitting on a comfy leather couch in a little pub called The Prince of Teck. Our beers and breakfasts have been ordered, so all is now well. But it took a bit to get here.

Our adventure started off way too early on Wednesday.  Our cat, Andromeda, woke us up with some forced loving and yelling, she knew something was up.  Sarah was so anxious she shaking and felt sick to her stomach.  Not a great start!

Our flight did not board until 4:35pm, so we had a lot of time to kill.  Imagine, the trip of a lifetime, your cat wakes you up at 3am, and you have already pretty much prepared everything.  It was the longest day ever, and it’s not over.  More on that later. 

With the season of travel and the added security measures in place, we decided to head up to the airport earlier than previously planned.  We made it through security surprisingly quickly and found a nice little Mexican Grille to snack on chips and salsa and enjoy a few pints before the flight. 

The airplane was TINY!  We were only going from Baltimore to NYC, so it didn’t take a large plane.  Once at JFK, we had a short layover.  Since we had not yet had dinner, we wanted something to eat.  We found a Buffalo Wild Wings right by the gate, but they were packed.  By the time we were ready to order, we were informed that the kitchen was running behind.  So instead, Ty found a little sandwich and Sarah got a side of veggies (surprise, surprise).    We almost missed our flights due to issues with our new debit cards, but luckily, we made it in time. 

What a flight!  We somehow made it onto the limousine of airplanes as petty commoners.  I mean, this plane had fancy mood lighting, free drinks, yes even alcohol.  And, to top it all off, they fed us well!  The flight attendants were working their tails off!

Though the creature comforts were nice, we could NOT SLEEP!  Ty had the window seat and Sarah was stuck in the middle.  It really worked out better since the person in front of Sarah decided to recline fully the entire time and the person behind was very aggressive with each move he made.  Luckily, Sarah had a pretty young fellow next to her, so she wasn’t too squished.  Hot chocolate, tea, coffee, plus a little bit of fruit and yogurt were served in cute little boxes.  Sarah decided to go with tea opposed to her normal coffee.  We are on our way to England after all.  It was tasty! 

Upon arrival to Heathrow, we were excited to meet our driver who would hold up our names on a sign.  Okay, if this doesn’t scream HIGH CLASS to a girl from Lorain Ohio, I don’t know what does….oh yeah, some Champagne, maybe….just saying.  Our excitement was dashed, however due to the fact that we had to stand in a ginormous long line to get through customs.  It’s 2:45am Eastern Time and 7:45am in the UK.  Why are so many people randomly traveling on a Wednesday morning from one country to the next?!  We are freaking out, okay, more like Sarah is freaking out about not meeting the driver in time.  We only have 90 minutes from our landing to meet our driver.  While that may sound like plenty of time, it’s not when there are so many crowds in front of you.  Thankfully, we make it to the driver and guess what?  We end up waiting for at least 20 more minutes for three people who had the same Groupon to make it, who sadly, had to make their own way to their hotel at their own expense. L

The drive from the airport to the hotel is open-eyeing(?).  We thought that people in MD and DC drove aggressively, but MAN, we got jostled around and were a little leery many times.  (We’re pretty sure that in our experience in London, many of the public transportation vehicles bump each other several times a day.)

When we do reach the hotel, we cannot completely check into our room because to us, it should be the middle of the night, but to the lovely citizens of the UK, it is just a new morning and they are preparing for the new guests.  We are hungry and have been up for at least 24 hours, so it’s time for a good ole fashioned English breakfast.  On the plane, we ate at about 5:00am London time and we did not get to the hotel until 10:30.  We are HANGRY!  We find out that there is a little pub/café right around the corner from the hotel, so we decide to give it a try.  We order beers (they are a pub and it’s basically night time for us ), Ty orders a traditional breakfast and we all know what Sarah wants…egg whites.  I’ll spare you the details, but we end up having a good time.  By the way, if you want your beverage before the meal is brought out, you have to say so unless you are in a bar.  People in Europe stay at tables in cafes and restaurants for hours. ( Sorry, Josh, you can’t flip those tables without a lot of charm J)

After “breakfast” we decide to go exploring around the city to really wrap our heads around the geography.  Sarah is a geography nerd and has been pouring over maps for weeks in research, but MAN, London is a city which does not AT ALL fit the grid system with which this Midwestern girl was born.  We decide to purchase a two-day bus pass so that we can see the city at its fullest for a decent price.  The bus system is not as easy as people tell you.  Sarah can work the metro in DC like a pro, but this system is weird!  We end up on loops upon loops, but we are patient with the system and each other, so we get through.  Ty just wants to get back and set up the room, but the bus goes on and on and we are so far from the hotel!!

When we finally navigate our way back ( after Sarah has a funny story about having to use the restroom where none were found except for a posh spot ) to the hotel, we have a newly revitalized energy.  It’s Thursday night ( 8:30 by the way ) and we have spotted locals hanging out all through our travels and were very jealous we did not get to experience that, so we regrouped and headed to a very near pub which was packed with local football fans.  France was playing Germany and it was SO exciting! We started talking with the regulars who were a little younger than us, but very nice.  We ended up having the LONGEST, but best time.  We look forward to what tomorrow brings J

 

10 year Anniversary Vacation!

We are treating ourselves to a monumental vacation for our tenth year anniversary.  We are going to visit London, Paris, and Rome to experience a trip of a lifetime.  We cannot believe that we have already spent 10 years of wedded bliss (along with some bumps along the way).  Please enjoy our adventures through this European vacation!

European Vacation

For our ten-year anniversary, we are heading to London, Paris, and Rome.  I know, right?  This is going to be an awesome adventure that we would like to share with family and friends.  We fly our on July 6th and get back to the US on the 16th.  We got an awesome Groupon to help us afford this endeavor.  We will keep you posted on our amazing adventure!!