Bright Eyes, Blistered Feet, Can't Lose

What a day it has been! My first real day in London has been everything I have ever thought of. Did I walk over 25 miles? Yes. Did I see almost every major location on my list? Yes. Does every bone, muscle, sinew and cell ache to the point of tears. Absolutely. Am I completely and perfectly and incandescently head over heels in love with this city? You Betcha.

I started my day walking around two of London's Royal Parks. As many of my friends know, parks are my favorite places. They are little escapes within the hustle and bustle of cities and I find no greater joy than sitting to read on a bench in a park. The Royal Parks did not disappoint. Both Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park are prestinely maintained--lush grass, paved paths, tons of trees, flowers, and a wonderful number of benches. Within the Parks were other attractions that I stopped at. First was Kensington Palace, home of Diana Princess of Wales. I am OBSESSED with the Royal Family, so this was at the top of my list. It overlooks the Round Pond, where there are TONS OF SWANS. Fun Fact: The Queen owns all of the swans in the entire UK. Whilst taking a picture of some of the water fowl, I was promptly chased my one of Her Majesty's swans.

I also stopped at some of the Park's statues and and gardens. While it is winter, Spring is desperately trying to poke its head out. The most spectacular site was the Prince Albert Memorial, which is right across the street from the Royal Albert Hall. It is a towering structure with gilded elements and detailed corner statues from all of the continents that England has colonized. Victoria had it comissioned for her husband after he died. I hope that one day, if I could love my future husband half as much as Victoria did Albert, I'll have more than enough for a lifetime. Before crossing over the Serpentine into Hyde Park, I stopped at the Physical Energy Statue and Peter Pan.

After I walked through Hyde Park, I walked through the Wellington Gate over to Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, a foreign dignitary was being entertained by the Queen so the palace was on high security. I didn't get the chance to take a picture with the guards, but I did take pictures of the Royal Household Mounted Cavalry escorting the dignitaries in the Royal Carriages. I love all of the pomp and circumstance that surrounds these ceremonies. I then took my time with Parliment Square (including Big Ben and Westminster!), 10 Downing Street (home of the Prime Minister), and the Royal Household Mounted Cavalry museum.

Next up was a walk-by of the River Thames with views of South Bank and the London Eye. I chose not to spend twenty pounds to go on the Eye, but it was cool to see. Besides, I wanted to head up to the Museums and Trafalgar Square. Both the National Gallery and the British Museum were impressive. I am a sucker for a good museum, so I had to stop by and see all the Van Gogh and Egyptian artifacts. By this time it was lunch, so after I did a quick fly-over of the museums, I had to stop for the quintessential fish and chips and a good cuppa.

At this point, my camera had sucked all of the juice out of the batteries I had brought. What a bummer! Just up the road I went to the West End and Theatre Row all the way to Piccadilly Circus. There are so many good shows on right now--The Maids, starring Uzo Aduba and Laura Carmichael, and The Master Builder with Ralph Finnes, WOW--I hope that on my return journey I will get to see one! Piccadilly is such a livewire of a neighborhood. There are so many lights and sounds, you never quite know which way to direct your attention. SO. MANY. STIMULI. Circus is a well-deserved moniker.

I started to head back on my loop, so I walked through St. James past both parks from the morning. I still had a few places I wanted to check off before I called it a day. I went to Notting Hill! This was a two-birds-with-one-stone moment and I wished I still had life in my camera, because, Readers, I FOUND THE HOUSE WITH THE BLUE DOOR. If any of you have seen the movie "Notting Hill" you will know exactly what I'm talking about. It was such a huge moment for me. I felt just like Julia Roberts...ok, maybe not. But that wasn't the end! I strolled over to Portobello Road where they have the market and I found it. The Notting Hill Book Store! The whole experience was very meta and I had to take a moment to calm myself. I actually might have shed a few tears. It was all so visceral. In a city as old and historic as London, you are guaranteed to have walked over the same path as someone you know, admire, or fangirl over.

Speaking of walking, I did manage to make my way up to my final stop of the day and had a glance at one of the most famous crossings in history. No, not Columbus or the Pilgrims. I'm talking Abbey Road and the iconic crossing of the zebra-stripe pedestrian crosswalk. What a moment in music history. I was speechless. But I was also completely knackered (British slang word of the Day! AKA to be exhausted). So I took a cab back to the hotel.

While my feet might actually be one big blister and all of my joints shout for relief, my day in London can never be replaced. There are not enough hours in the day to explore all of the sites and enclaves that this city has to offer. In some ways I wish I could spend and entire week turning over every rock to hear its story. But my time here is limited and I had to do a "greatest hits" tour to really get a sense of London. I'm headed off early in the morning for my trip up country. While I love the City, I am even more excited to get to the countryside and really become part of the local community. I promise to stock up on batteries and never miss another photo op!

Until next time.