Day 7- London, England

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Today was the first day of the New Year.  We woke up early, had another royal breakfast and started our day with a view from the sky on The London Eye. We got there early and had no wait as we were able to see city in a new way.  We had wonderful views of Big Ben, Parliament, The Royal Horseguards, and Buckingham Palace.

Once we completed our tour in the sky, we headed to Westminster Abbey . Westminster Abbey was founded in 960 and is much more than a church. The Abbey is a shine to tombs of kings and queens, it has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and known for 16 royal weddings, especially the wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate in 2011.  We decided to take a verger tour of the church, which I would highly recommend if you want to go in the future. Our verger was actually the head verger of Kate and William's wedding as he led in the priest and sat to the left on the alter as they were married. He was so knowledgeable with regard to every aspect of the church and led us into rooms that were blocked off to others. The beauty of the church and the massive light fixtures that were handcrafted Waterford crystal, which were gifted from the Guiness family, were indescribable. The most amazing thing to witness was the tombs of Queen Elizabeth, I , Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, and Handle. However, the best part of the tour was being able to walk down the long aisle that Kate herself walked down.

{ Since you cannot take pictures, I had to take this from the internet}

  

{Side entrance of the church}

{ Martin Luther King, Jr. was added to the entrance in 1998}

{Very cold- Very wet}

{Quick change before dinner since we were soaked from the rain}

Day 6- London, England

Tuesday, December 31st, 2013 {New Year's Eve}

Today we woke up very early and had what felt like a royal breakfast in the formal dining room of our hotel. We ate like kings filling up on fresh fruit, moist muffins, eggs anyway you wanted them, and fresh juice.  Afterwards, we got dressed in our winter attire and took a tour of the Tower of London. It was founded by William the Conqueror in 1066 and is mainly known for the "Beefeaters" who guard the crown jewels and King Henry VIII who had his second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn beheaded for accused adultery. 

   

{A 'Beefeater'}

{ The only remaining Tudor homes in London}

{Tower Bridge}

{A rare picture I was able to get with a guard}

{The Royal Horse Guards}

Later that afternoon we went to explore Winston Churchill's War Cabinets from WWII when England feared an air strike from the Germans/ Hitler. This underground museum has been kept exactly they way Churchill left it after the WWII ended. 

Once our tour ended, Richard and I decided to go on our own for walk around the River Thames. London has many parks and tried to walk through as many as possible. The best part of our walk was seeing our hotel from across the river and seeing the beautiful view of Big Ben and Parliament.

{Our hotel from across the River Thames}

That night Richard and I celebrated New Year's Eve in London. Our hotel was directly across from the London Eye where they city celebrated the fire works. The best part was walking right out of the hotel and not having to fight 250,000 crowd. I have never been a big fan of any New Year's Eve party, but this display of fire works was unbelievable. The best part was when the fire works display was synced with Big Ben.  

Here is a YouTube Video that I found:  NYE- London, England

{The Bobbies}

The fireworks were the loudest I had ever experienced...Best New Years yet!