Adventures in England

One of my favourite parts about this trip to London was that I actually got to leave London and see more of England.  Katie and I took a bus tour to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge.  We spent quite a bit of time at Windsor exploring the Chapel of St. George.  We had an audio guide that told us about all of the different art and things to see in the chapel, but we couldn't take any pictures.  We also got to see Queen Mary's dollhouse, and some of the State Rooms, where the royal family entertains guests to Windsor Castle. As we were leaving, we caught part of the changing of the guards.

Our next stop was Bath.  We had about a two hour drive there, so I was able to take a little nap and enjoy some of the scenic English countryside as we were heading into the city.  Bath was a really cool place.  We only had a couple hours there, but I would love to visit again and spend a few days.  We spent most of our time at the Museum of Fashion, and also saw some of the assembly rooms, like where Catherine attended balls in Northanger Abbey.

Finally, we got to visit Stonehenge.  It was fascinating to be in such an ancient place, especially one people have been discussing and wondering about for so long.  It was so much bigger than I had thought it would be from pictures.  And there were a bunch of sheep and other animals in the fields around it.

When we arrived back in London, I wanted to walk around for a bit after sitting on the bus for so long. We popped into a Topshop, and I bought myself a top and some nail polish.  (You can't go to London without doing at least a little bit of shopping.)  For dinner, I got a waffle with nutella, strawberries, and bananas, and ate it on the steps of a fountain at Picadilly Circus.  It was a wonderful way so spend and end-of-summer evening, surrounded by so much excitement and eating pure deliciousness.  

Here's my "artsy" photo of Big Ben, taken from a bus.

For my last day in London, Katie and I went to the Museum of Childhood, and then for a walk past St. Paul's, crossing the Thames on Millennium Bridge, and past Shakespeare's Globe to the Anchor.  This is a really old pub, frequented by none other than Samuel Johnson. (He compiled one of the most important English dictionaries, for those of you who aren't quite as nerdy as I am.)  What made it even better was that they served a vegetarian version of fish and chips (the "fish" was made with cheese), so that I could enjoy this British cuisine.  After that, we visited Hamley's, a really awesome toy store.

Swinging in London Town

I arrived in London yesterday and am already having a great time.  Katie let me rest for a little while, and then we headed out to have a good time.  We started with a walk through Kensington Gardens, where I saw the Peter Pan Statue, the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and the Queen Elizabeth Gate.

We walked around for a bit before eating dinner at The Green Man Pub.  Then we celebrated the Holiday weekend by going to a Steam Fair at Victoria Park.  They had really cool old timey games and rides.  Katie and I each played a couple arcade games and rode the Octopus ride, which was a lot of fun.

Today, our first stop was to visit only the best vehicle for traveling through time and space.

Then we explored the V&A, 

and took our afternoon tea at Harrod's. 

In all, it's been a nice vacation between working all summer and starting school next week.  London is pretty sweet, but the best part is spending time with Katie, of course. :)

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

Today is my last day in Chicago for nearly four months.  This morning I had a lovely brunch at my favorite restaurant, Tre Kronor.  It was the perfect way to relax after my crazy last few weeks of summer.  I will be spending the night on an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean, and tomorrow I will meet up with my sister Katie in London.  Somehow I managed to pack everything into one suitcase, a carry on bag, and a backpack.  It took a lot less time and stress than it could have, so that makes me happy.  I'm really excited to start adventuring, so I can post more interesting things here!