July 8, 2015

the london pass

one of our first days in london had to be filled with the touristy stops.
though we like to find local spots in cities, i always have to remember
that “touristy” areas are that way for a reason, and most are still worth
seeing for newcomers to the city (AKA, chase!) we filled one whole
day with the major classic london sights, and it was made so easy
with the london pass. i used to shy away from these all-inclusive
type passes, but with big cities and limited time i’ve become a fan.
this pass enabled us to cruise all over the city, go straight to the
front of lines, and get into unlimited attractions — all included in
the pass price. after three stops it had already paid for itself. worth it!
we bought our oyster card tube passes, and started the day!
first stop = trafalgar square. the passes can be picked up right
near here at charing cross, so it’s a great place to begin.
we walked straight down the mall to buckingham palace to
see the changing of the guard and crowds to go along with it ^^
we had to exchange our euros for some
british pounds in honour of the queen!
(see what i did there with “honour?” already acting british, ha!)
let me just warn you, we walked a LOT this day.
i don’t even want to know how far.
it was also unusually warm in london – the heat + humidity
had us stopping for ice creams & waters every so often.
^^^ my new favorite picture of my love in this spot
where i missed him for an entire summer!
i got to show chase parliament (my old intern stomping grounds!)
and we walked all through st. james’ park on our way to..
westminster abbey!
by this time in the day the line was wrapped around the abbey for
tickets, but then we saw the london pass entry and scooted right in!
the abbey always a must-see, and not only because the royal wedding
was just there ;) i love all of the history within these walls —
the kings, queens, poet’s corner, and the sheer beauty of it.
as long as we were having a cliché london day, we had to
get fish & chips of course! he was a happy boy after lots of walking.
did i mention it was the fourth of july?!
chase made sure to pack some american flags
since this would be his first 4th spent outside the country,
so watch for those to make an appearance in the vlog below ;)
it’s a tad ironic to celebrate the 4th of july in the UK, but
no one here cares at all, haha. big ben was ringing for uncle sam!
we hopped on a boat after lunch to cruise the thames and get
off our feet. the breeze felt amazing and it was gorgeous all around.
tower bridge came into sight, always exciting! ^^
we hopped off to tour the tower of london and got a great,
entertaining tour guide. you’ll see him in the vlog too!
we got to walk up and inside of tower bridge, looking down at
london through the glass floor. i love things like this!
our last stop of the afternoon was shakespeare’s globe across
the bridge. here is chase’s “to be, or not to be…that is the question”
our pass included a tour of the globe, but we were too late as the
evening’s performances were already starting. still fun to go in!
as we walked around london i love the reminders to “look right.”
did you know they are for visitors who are used to looking
the opposite way since the cars drive on the left here!?
they saved chase a few times!