London calling

Yes, yes the palace.

This was the first time I'd really experienced London. Sure, I'd been before, but for one reason or another I hadn't actually done much. Well. This has all changed! I've been in London more than I thought I'd ever go for the past few months (I'll go into that more later---this post is exclusively for the trip). I decided since London is so bloody famous that a video would be infinitely more fun to watch than scrolling through pictures. Though I'll have some of those, too (probably also in the video, haha).

We had the most incredible weather. We're not talking incredible for London, we're talking incredible on a worldwide standard (!!!). Believe it---it's in the video!

A few London stories.

Uri swore he wouldn't leave London before he had been to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant and, of course, ended up delegating that bit to me. I found Maze.

To compare Maze to Red is unfair---Red is utterly delicious, filling fare with a quality wine list. Maze is more like cooking for the taste alone, portion size be damned (read: tiny)! Yet once you taste that food and that wine the sommelier picked...it's really hard to say no, that wasn't one of the best meals of my life.

Hooray for a delicious start to London!

We opted for the tasting course which gave us four small dishes of the best-tasting food ever. That's right, I just went for it. We paired it with three wines personally chosen for us by the sommelier who was so good at his job that he remembered the white wine he chose for me (a Sancerre, by the by) and I was in heaven. It was super cool to watch the waiters flitting around and gracefully whisking plates and cutlery away, swiftly replacing everything before you quite realized it was gone! I could really get used to a restaurant like that...

HappyHappyHappy!

My favourite experience of London, however, was on our last night. After a late lunch, we opted for a late dinner. Problem? Bad plan on a Sunday night! I insisted on dropping by Parliament first because it's frankly stunning at night and it should never be missed!

Fun fact: Big Ben is the name of the great bell, not the tower! Its name is simply "The Clock Tower." 

And what a pretty clock tower it is!

Ahhh, Westminster. <3

And across the river, we have the London Eye!

This is easily Uri's favourite shot, and rightfully so!

This enormous landmark first came to my attention in the very first episode of the Doctor Who revamp. Christopher Eccleston is just so darn lovable.

D'awwwwwwwwwwwww! You never forget your first Doctor.

If you've ever been to London, you figure out very fast that there isn't much at all by way of food in this neck of the woods. So what's our plan? Ask for directions, of course! Who would you ask?, you may be wondering.

These guys. More specifically, the one with a big ol' gun.

You know what? The guard was astoundingly nice.

Uri: "Excuse me, sir! Know where we can get a bite to eat at this hour?"

Guard: [sucks in breath] "Weeeell, there's really not much open right now...but if you just walk straight down that road there"--[takes one hand of gun that requires TWO HANDS TO HOLD and motions down Whitehall]--"you may find something still open on the Strand."

Uri: "Thanks so much! You have a great night."

Guard: "Good luck."

See: Why I could never be a spy. 'Nuff said on that count.

So we walk down Whitehall, giggling as we go until we hit the Strand. Of course we would find the best SciFi store well after closing hours with the best assortment of Doctor Who merch we've ever seen (like beats ThinkGeek and Forbidden Planet in its sheer awesomesauceness). Of course! 

Long story short: we found a hole-in-the-wall falafel joint whose food was, not surprisingly, loads better than McDonald's! Which was our backup (give me a big "ewwwwwwwwwww" here). 

And now, tips and must-sees from Uri and Isha!

Tips

1. Kiss your money goodbye. It won't last long or go very far here.
2. Get an all-day travelcard or an Oyster and for the love of humanity, don't stand still in the middle of the Underground station!
3. Pick up a London Pass if you fancy doing touristy things---it's well worth it for three days or more!
4. Walk, walk, and walk some more. Bring your best comfy shoes!

Must-sees

1. Tower of London. You must take the Beefeater tour! Oh yeah, and no one knows why they're called Beefeaters, so don't even bother asking (though they'll probably beat you to the punch). Also, don't compare any jewelry you own to anything they keep in the Tower. You will weep.
2. Tower Bridge. Amazing view! As an FYI to foreigners, this is not the London Bridge! The London Bridge is quite boring and ugly while Tower Bridge is pretty and impressive. In fairness, I made the same mistake, so I'm striving to make sure others don't follow in my footsteps on this one. 
3. Thames Cruise. Unparalleled way to see most of London. 'Nuff said. If you've got a London Pass, get your River Rover ticket now!
4. Baker Street. If you know us, you know this had to make it on the list. Just stand outside and take pictures!
5. Ben Franklin House. This was definitely Uri's idea, but I'm really glad we went! I've never been to a place quite like this before. They have an actress who plays the daughter of the lady who owned the place (and is reckoned to have been one of BF's many mistresses, ohohoho!) and she guides you through various rooms of the house, highlighting aspects of Benny Boy and tying in history. Really cool place and highly recommended for those who fancy American history.
6. Houses of Parliament. All I've got to say is this: What Capitol Hill?!
7. Westminster Abbey. Right next to Parliament and chock full of awesome historical architecture and dead rich and famous people. Except Shakespeare. He's not actually there---we eventually figured out many of these plaques and plates and things are more "in memoriam" and not so much "FAMOUS DEAD PERSON BURIED HERE!".
8. Churchill War Rooms. This one I absolutely insisted on and it's worth every minute we spent in there. While the War Rooms themselves are really cool and provide an unparalleled view into what it must've been like down there, I personally loved the Churchill Museum. That guy was something else! I'll leave it to you to learn about him on your own when you go. ;)
9. Buckingham Palace. Yes, I caved. This hyper-touristy destination truly is a must-see. You can't go to London and not even pass by here! For a lovely walk, head to Green Park right next door (or better yet, take the Underground to the Green Park stop for a walk in the park before the Palace!). Fun fact: this used to be the Duke of Buckingham's house. Some house! And yeah, that "Buckingham" bit is in fact related to my dear Buckinghamshire. Everybody say, "Awwwwwwwwwww yeeeeeeeeeeeeeah!"
10. A pie with a pint. Need I say more? 

This wraps up The Trip posts. Thank you all for bearing with me and my unreliable posting speed---to say it's been nutters here would be an enormous understatement. These remaining two weeks here in Bucks will be spent in a frenzy of packing, unpacking, repacking, and then being a tour guide for another two weeks while I escort my family around (a whole new set of posts!).

To my fiance: Best. Trip. Yet. ;)

Cheers!