London, Baby!

So I always say 'London, Baby!' because of Joey on Friends. But apparently there is actually a site, the London Baby, for babies in London. While I'm here, providing my thoughts & info...there ya go.

After Ely, the place I've been to most in England/Europe is London. Why not actually start blogging about my experiences and start with the first place we visited when we moved here. Until I actually start a glamorous travel blog, I will catch up here. Travel week on the blog.

Ahhh, London. I think I'm in love. But can we just hook up on weekends? I like living in a small town.

I've now been 6 times and each time I got a little more comfortable. After the first trip, I knew not to hit a local commuter in the knee with your gigantic touristy suitcase when getting on the tube, even if it WAS an accident. *If looks could kill.* Hey, that's part of the deal when you're in a big city on the subway. So the next time, I was a little more calm, cool and collected. NBD. 

Since then, I've mostly observed that your time on the tube can be quite entertaining and most people are pretty nice. By the third or fourth trip, I knew that the Piccadilly line was my favorite line to ride, for the location of the stops but ALSO to hear "this is a Piccadilly line to Cockfosters." With the accent.  Even though I don't get it, I learned that "Gloucester" is actually pronounced "Glouster." I learned that at the expense of getting laughed at by the Ely train station ticket lady who couldn't figure out where I wanted to go until I finally spelled it. That is just an example of many words I don't know how to say. But with each trip, this huge city stopped feeling so huge. The tube is easy and there is SO much food to eat. And after 2 shows (Phantom of the Opera and The Commitments), I want to see them all.

Our second trip to London was about 5 months after we moved here, and even by then it sort of felt like home a little bit. You know me...I have many homes. But when I'm there, I kind of feel like I could be in any big city (except, of course, there is the unique AWESOMENESS of London). And that means I could be in the U.S. Or anywhere. Very international. But it felt less overwhelming than the first trip, and more like a camouflage blanket wrapped around me :) I didn't stand out as an American like in our little town of Ely. Don't get me wrong, plenty of love for Ely, but ya know sometimes just blending in without effort is nice, ha. 

Some favorite attractions/areas:
Churchill War Rooms: How is it not cool to check out a wartime bunker and the areas where people worked while bombs hit London above?

Westminster Abbey: Did you know that Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens and C.S. Lewis are buried there? Among loads of other famous and/or cool people. 
 

Hyde Park: So much peaceful space. So much space to run!

 

Favorite food:
The variety of food in London is amazing! There are plenty of traditional pubs EVERYWHERE in England so when I find myself in London I tend to want to get my hands on some other stuff. However, we have eaten at a few pubs there and this one was great!

Buckingham Arms

Tortilla: Dave and I found this place on Trafalgar Square during our first trip to London. We were sort of scoping out Chipotle but getting all turned around even Rick Steves was not helping. Yelp pointed us in the right direction on this one and we've gone back twice since. Seriously made me forget about Chipotle.

California-style burrito and a Sierra Nevada. Cowabunga?!

La Polenteria: Narrowed in on this one while searching for Gluten-free options with a friend. Like Polenta? Yum. All I gotta say.

Honest Burger: Not sure what to say except....maybe my favorite burger ever. At least top 3.  And the rosemary salted chips. Couldn't stop, didn't stop.

Feast your eyes on that special.

Serpentine Bar & Kitchen:  People can get a pizza or burger anywhere, okay? They come to Serpentine for the ambiance :) Beautiful spot to eat high quality food in Hyde Park.

So there is my quick wrap of my mouth-watering feelings on London. Love walking around, love the vibe. Here is a collection of my touristy London photos thus far. This love affair...TBC.  

Can't forget Big Ben (fun fact: the tower is known as the Elizabeth Tower; Big Ben is the clock)