Eye See London

This past weekend, my good friend Alicia came to visit me in London.  During her break from school, she was traveling with her dad and dad's girlfriend to the UK and to Paris.  I am so glad that I was able to play hostess to show off all that London has to offer.

I first met up with Alicia in Leicester Square on Friday afternoon.  Because we are both musical theatre lovers, we knew that we had to try and see a show while she was visiting one of the theatre capitals of the world.  After a quick lunch in a small Italian cafe, we headed to one of the hundreds of half price ticket booths to try our luck at rushing a show.  In the end, we lucked out and were able to secure two tickets to Wicked for Saturday night!

Following our great success, we set out towards Trafalagar Square and Westminster.  We stopped in to the National Portrait Gallery and I showed off my favorite portraits including those of Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Winslet, and Paul McCartney.  Continuing on, I pointed out many sites along the broad streets of Westminster before turning towards the river to visit the London Eye.

When I first arrived in London, all of the administrators of my program said that we absolutely must take a trip on the London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel as it is also known. This huge Ferris wheel features capsules that can hold up to 30 people each.  It is the most popular tourist attraction because it provides great aerial views of the Thames, the Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace.

The London Eye

Our trip on the Eye was great!  I am so glad that I was finally able to take my turn on this attraction.  It was wonderful to see the city from this point of view and to share all of the sites that I knew with Alicia. Throughout the 30 minute ride, we took many, many photographs and just took in the breathtaking sites.

View of Westminster

Capsule next to ours

View of St. James Park and Buckingham

Next, we took an open air The Original London Doubledecker bus tour.  Our bus drove from Westminster to Hyde Park, passing the Burberry Headquarters, Victoria Train Station, Wellington Arch, and many cute pubs.  This was such a fun way to get around.  You get to see all of the sites and hear all the sounds of what London truly is like.

Me and Alicia riding on the bus

After departing the bus, we walked to Harrods.  Due to my wonderful experience with the store on my first trip, I told Alicia that she definitely needed to see it.  I showed Alicia my favorite parts of the store including the Egyptian Escalator, the puppies in the Pet Kingdom, and of course the food hall. As Alicia was going to see a show at the Royal Albert Hall, we went our separate ways for the evening after exploring Harrods.

On Saturday morning, I met up with Alicia, her dad, and his girlfriend at Westminster Abbey.  Throughout my time in London, this church has been on top of my list of sites to see.  Containing the tombs of many of monarchs, acting as the location of coronation ceremonies, and preparing to host the Royal Wedding, Westminster was a must see in my book.  Because of the admission fee, I had put off coming with friends earlier and was very excited to finally be entering this stunning building.

Westminster Abbey

Towers of Westminster Abbey

Once inside, we were able to take an individually guided audio tour past the high altar, many chapels, and specific regions of the church.  I really enjoyed getting the chance to see the Poets' Corner which features the burial sites of famous writers like Tennyson and Dickens and memorials to many famous writers, including Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters.  I was thrilled that I had the chance to see the Coronation Chair also inside the Abbey.  This chair, which has been used in the Coronation Ceremonies for nearly every monarch since 1308, was designed to contain the Stone of Scone.  This stone, which legend has was the stone upon which Jacob placed his head at Bethel, has been passed throughout Europe over history.  Most notably, the stone was stolen by a group of Scottish Nationalists in 1950. Today, it rests in Edinburgh Castle along with the Scottish crown jewels.  While I was in Edinburgh, I got to see the Stone of Scone and so it only seemed fitting that I got to see the Coronation Chair as well.

After we exited Westminster, we hopped in a cab to go see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.  Due to the warm weather and ample school trips taking place in London during this time of year, this area was swarming with people.  Maneuvering our way around the palace gates, we eventually found a perfect view straight out from the main gate. Although I had already seen the changing of the guards once, I was glad to be able to see it again when the guards were in their traditional red uniforms and the band played a selection of music.

Band marching in

View in front of the main gate

Band just inside the gates

Band marching

Guards leaving

We especially enjoyed the band's rendition of a medley of songs from Indiana Jones and Star Wars along with other classical pieces.  The Mall, as we headed away from Buckingham, was decked out Union Jacks in preparation for the London Marathon and the Royal Wedding.

The Mall

For lunch, we headed through Picadilly Circus to Leicester Square.  I had a great time telling Alicia all about Picadilly and showing her the main sites along the way. 

Bustling Picadilly Circus

After lunch, I wanted to show everyone one of my favorite areas of the city: St. Paul's and the South Bank.  We traveled by Tube to see Christopher Wren's architectural wonder before walking across the Millennium Bridge. We enjoyed a cup of coffee on the South side of the Thames while taking in the great views of St. Paul's great dome.

Millennium Bridge and St. Paul's

 Moving on, Alicia and I headed towards Borough Market for an afternoon snack while her dad and dad's girlfriend returned to the center of the city.   The walk along the southern edge of the river is one of the most pleasant in all of London. Dotted with famous sites, I knew that I had to show it off to Alicia.

Reaching Borough Market, we shared a piece of delicious cheesecake in the Southwark Cathedral church yard.  It was a great place to relax and enjoy a place that is so typically London.

During our snack we decided to pop over to Oxford Street.  Because Alicia and I are fans of the Shopaholic book series, she wanted to see the place where most of the action (aka shopping) in the book takes place.  Even though I have a very love-hate relationship with this part of the city, I gladly navigated our way there on the Tube.  Besides, going there allowed me to share all the wonders of Ben's Cookies with Alicia.  Featuring the most delicious cookies I have ever tasted, it was a welcomed stop.

Before long, we needed to travel to Victoria to grab a quick bite of something more substantial before our show.  We chose a pub called The Shakespeare and even though it was a part of the chain of pubs found around the city our meal consisting of fish and chips and nachos was quite good.

Just before 8:00pm, we headed to the Apollo Theatre located just across the Square for Wicked!  The show was just as great as I remembered and I am so glad that I was able to share it with Alicia.

WICKED!!!!

After the show, we headed to the Tube and said our good byes.  It was so great to be able to show Alicia all the great things about London.  I have really come to love this place and was happy to be able to explore some more with one of my best friends.