Continued from My English Experience – Week 2

So now we have traveled from London to Stonehenge to  Devon to Binbrook and now to Northampton and on to our final destination in London.

Up early, load the car and off to Northampton we go. Once in Northampton we popped over to see my hubby’s Nan and then we meet up with loads of family for a big dinner with

everyone. Aunties and Uncles galore! What a great time we all had at dinner. It was fabulous getting to meet everyone in person that I had only known from Christmas cards and facebook. After dinner we all made our way back to Tina’s house for some rest and relaxation because we were up early again the next morning to make our way to London via the train.

 

 

Day 1 in London  – from the train to the hotel via taxi and then it was off we go. We walked across the Tower Bridge and then down the other side of the river to The London Dungeon. It was a bit confusing as there were 2 different lines going into the dungeons but we hopped into one and then waited for like 3 hours. It was well worth the wait. Once we were inside it took at least an hour or more to go through the entire thing and there

were 3 rides inside as well. One room in the Dungeon was set up as a courtroom and I was pointed out in the group and told to stand on the podium… oh dear .. I was then accused of witchcraft… dancing naked in the woods to pagan rituals and such .. they asked me if I denied these accusations and I had to say no .. LOL. In the next room it was set up as a torture chamber and my husband was then brought up to sit in the spotlight while the actor made fun and began his torture… LOL…. it was well worth that 3 hour wait just to watch that!

After the Dungeon we were all starving and set off to find some dinner.

We found a nice little Indian restaurant and filled our tummies. For Christmas my hubby had bought us all  tickets for a Ghost Tour so it was now time to make our way over to the double decker bus that was going to take us on the tour. This wasn’t your ordinary red double decker bus that you see all over London.. this was a black double decker bus, LOL. Set up with mood lighting and actors we had a great time and learned a lot about the hauntings of London. That concluded the end of our first night and so off to bed we went.

Day 2 in London – Up early with lots to see and do. We were on and off the Underground railway all day, minding the gap as always. First we made our way over to

The London Eye. The Eye moves so slow that you can barely tell it’s moving when you are on it. What a view! I’d love to ride it again in the evening when the lights of London are all on.

After the Eye we all made our way over to Harrods. Being just 2 days after Christmas and the big sale going on.. Harrods was ram packed with people. It was nearly impossible to see anything and to truly appreciate the Harrods experience. We purchased a few sweets and out the door we went in search of lunch. We found a nice steak restaurant but when the steaks came … you

had to cook them yourself at the table on a hot stone. LOL. Definitely an experience my hubby won’t forget.

After lunch we made our way over to Covent Gardens. I love this place! It was a huge market that was a mix with actual indoor shops and an open air market. There were lots of artisans selling their wares and street performers throughout the market …. my mind was on creative overload. We purchased some really nice london artwork and a few other bits and pieces before we made our way out of

the market and on to our next adventure. Our nephew Ben had particular streets he wanted to visit and a shop called Superdry. So we walked and walked and walked in the rain looking for these streets and that shop. We got super wet looking for a store called Superdry… how insane in that! I have no idea how long and how far we walked but it seemed like ages, we found the store at last and once he had a good look around the shop … we made our way back to the hotel for rest and to dry off.

Day 3 & 4 in London – Today it’s just me and my hubby left alone to

explore the rest of London. We walked for hours traveling all over to see as much of London as two people possibly could. We took another trip to Covent Gardens, we went to Buckingham Palace and by Downing Street, we walked past Big Ben and Westminster Abby. We went to

Camden Town to explore Camden Market and we went to China Town and the ever famous Soho. China Town smelled amazing with all the restaurants down every street, too bad we had already eaten at Leicester Square. We stopped in at several pubs through these two days. It was the best way to rest your feet and have a nice drink before heading back out into the drizzle that never stopped falling in London. I think my favorite pub was the

Sherlock Holmes Pub. It’s a really small quaint pub that felt very homey and comfortable.

New Years Eve in London – After a day of walking in the cold and rain we weren’t real sure we wanted to walk down to where the fireworks could be seen, but it’s not all the time you are in London on New Years Eve so why not.  We were just 2 miles

from the fireworks so we bundled up and headed out for a walk along the river. It wasn’t so bad at first but the closer we got the more crowded it became. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people in one place my entire life. Once we got there, we had an hour to wait before the fireworks started. It was very close quarters for everyone. There were people as far as you could see in any direction. Suddenly it was midnight and Big Ben started to ring and the fireworks blasted into the air. What a show! A memory that I will not forget ever

and I got to share this moment with my love, my dear husband Richard.  The streets were so crowded that it took us an hour to walk the 2 miles back to our hotel.

Well that’s my English experience coming to an end. I hope you enjoyed … I know I did! I can’t wait to go back again.

Many Blessings and Happy New Year!
Raventalker

Here are a few other photos of our trip to London