Pinky Out! --London
An 8am wake up call never sounds that nice, but when you only have a couple days to explore a new place, it is definitely worth it! I was getting ready as usual, but obviously my straightener wanted to go crazy. It didn’t like the UK convertor and decided to start flaming and fall apart.. right after I brushed my curly, frizzy hair. It was a disaster, not only for the fact that I wouldn’t have a straightener in London, but for my whole SAS adventure following London. Ekk! I was slightly freaking out, but I wouldn’t let it ruin my day. Following that dismal experience, the hotel provided us with a full English breakfast. It was literally the best breakfast I have ever had. There were mouth watering croissants, blueberry muffins, juices, and made to order eggs, sausage, hashbrown (basically whatever you want). It was delish. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
The first things we decided to do today was ride the London Eye to avoid the long lines early. It was pretty cool seeing the entire city from above the Thames River. So gorgeous!
Next on the to-see list was Buckingham Palace. On our way there, however, we saw a man petting and feeding a squirrel.. These weird London people. But I mean the squirrels and the pigeons DON’T MOVE. I actually almost stepped on one today. I also saw two birds fighting over a dead bird. They carried the bird up into the air and were messing with it, which was so odd. They were beating each other up for one of their own! Onward to Buckingham Palace where we not only saw the beautiful building, but we saw the changing of the guards as well. It was completely PACKED and people would just stop in the middle of the pathway, which was annoying. Move bitch, get out the way!
Since Harrods was only a short walk away from Buckingham Palace, that was our next stop. HARRODS IS MASSIVE! I have never seen anything like it. They have everything that anyone could want in this here world. Anything from shoes and clothes, to meat and candy, to electronics, to furniture, to a dog place.. all in this one store. Speaking of the dog store, they had the cutest outfits for dogs. They had one that said “I love dad” and one that is a costume of a Buckingham Palace guard! Mom and I are considering going back tomorrow to get it for Lil!
Next Stop: Piccadilly Circus. No it is not literally a circus, but it is kind of crazy like a circus. It is kind of like the “Time Square” of London. It is the place where a lot of theater shows take place. Don’t judge, but Mom and I stopped at McDonald’s because we just wanted a little snack that took no time instead of a full meal for lunch because we had tea planned for later
in the day. We split some chicken fingers and I found it fascinating how in the U.S. the typical size drink when you order a combo is a medium, but in London it is a small and I don’t believe there are free refills either. Therefore, America is fat. But don’t worry we are for sure burning off the calories with how much walking we are doing!
We took the tube (London’s Subway) to Green Park where we lounged in the bright green lawn with the fellow Londoners. It was quite nice. People just come out to the lawn and lay down in their work clothes and suits. Following that we walked trying to find where our afternoon tea was. Unfortunately we walked all the way in the wrong direction and ended up having to call them and ask where exactly they were. We only had ten minutes until our tea time so we booked it as fast as possible and made it there at exactly 4pm. They seated us and we were served some mini sandwiches, scones, and pastries with the “Wolsley house blend” tea. It was quite delicious! We were slightly embarrassed when we had to ask how the whole tea strainer thing worked (we didn’t have a clue!) He was a nice gentleman though and explained it. Now I know all about tea! Haha.
While we were enjoying ourselves, a paramedic came in at a near table. I don’t know what was wrong with the guy he was helping, but I couldn’t stop staring at him. He looked just like David Beckham! He was so gorgeous to look at... even though this sounds so wrong.. Did I mention I find the whole British get-up incredibly irresistible?
The only thing left open when we were done with tea was the National Gallery. To be honest I’m not really a fan of old Renaissance art. I like more of the fun, colorful art like Warhol and Picasso. Not the paintings of old women flaunting their wrinkly asses. I did like the Monet work though and the gift shop. I picked out a little rubber duckie dressed as a British guard for Kelly there! It is SO cute! ( and the guy who checked me out was a goth, British man.. never thought I would see that.)
xoxo,
Em