London, Day Two

Day two in London was a pretty packed day from start to finish. We woke up early and took the Tube to Tower Hill, where we walked along the Thames to Westminster. It was a beautiful morning with picture-perfect weather and beautiful views around every corner. London has a feeling all its own, and London mornings, before the city really starts buzzing, are something entirely special. 

We walked past Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower (which houses Big Ben); the tower has been undergoing renovations the past year and was covered in scaffolding with the exception of the clock face. Tyler didn't even realize what it was until I pointed it out, so I'm not sure that seeing that iconic landmark held the same magic it typically might . :) Fortunately, one of my favorite statues is right across the road--the statue of Boudica and her daughters (below). Boudica was a queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe during the Roman occupation of Britain. After Roman forces flogged her and raped her daughters, Boudica staged a rebellion that united several Celtic tribes, destroyed a few cities, killed tens of thousands, and drove the Romans from London. Though ultimately the Romans crushed the revolt, Boudica's rebellion very nearly resulted in the withdrawal of Roman forces from Britain, and she became a British folk hero.

After the brief walk-by and snapping a few photos, we headed to my very favorite place in London (and really, the entire world): Westminster Abbey. There is so much history in this building and you can feel it in every single corner--it's absolute heaven to me. We ate brunch in the cellarium, then spent the majority of the morning wandering around the abbey. After we left, Tyler said it was his favorite place he'd ever been! That was such a huge moment for me--after spending months (okay, a couple years) planning every detail of this trip, I felt such a huge amount of emotional investment in it. I knew that I would love it, but I was a little nervous because I had never really planned a full vacation for anyone else. Thankfully it's not too hard to make England enjoyable. ;) 

We followed up Westminster Abbey with a stroll to Buckingham Palace; we decided against viewing the State Rooms in the interest of being able to fit more into our day. After snapping a view photos, we walked down the Mall, took a detour to St. James Palace, and wandered for a bit in St. James Park.

The park stop was a nice little pause in an otherwise busy day. We found an unoccupied bench--easier said than done in such gorgeous weather--and took a few minutes to decide on (our very late) lunch and look at our plans for the rest of the day. We decided to eat at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Cafe in the Crypt, so after snapping a few photos, we headed toward Trafalgar Square. 

It felt like everyone in the city was in Trafalgar Square, so we decided against the National Portrait Gallery, which is what I had planned (I have to save something for future trips, right?), and decided to explore to kill a little time before dinner. We grabbed some coffee, discovered the dangers of a Cath Kidston sale, and ended up back at Tower Hill just in time for dinner at Coppa Club, the most photogenic little spot right on the bank of the Thames. Delicious food, perfect weather, and a view of the Shard, Tower of London, and Tower Bridge? It was heaven. It was also a perfect location, because we had tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London! 

The Ceremony of the Keys was one of my favorite things we did on the entire trip; there's something absolutely magical about being in the Tower at night, after the gates have been locked, and taking part in a ceremony that has been performed every single night for over 700 years. To be honest, it made me a little emotional to be able to take part in the history of my favorite place, albeit in a very, very small way. I can't think of a better way to have ended our night.