The Final Days... London!

London, the final stop on our mini European vacation.  Stephanie, Mom and I planned to take Steph's car to a train station out near their home, park, and ride the train into London.  In theory, perfect.  In fact, and for your information, do NOT count on a parking space at any and all train stations with extended parking in the English countryside.  We drove to 3 stations, drove around their lots, and finally (and very luckily) spied an open spot.  Whew!  Driving and parking in London are challenging and expensive so the train was the best choice.  Just a head's up that parking cannot be guaranteed, so don't plan a tight schedule upon arrival.  

We had an amazing time.  Our hotel, again booked through Booking.com was not too bad.  It was clean but the room was very small for a triple.  No space to put luggage and the bathroom reminded me of a cross between a airplane bathroom and a Japanese bathroom. So very tiny and efficient.  If you put a shower in an airplane bathroom, that would be a good description.  I was just happy it had hot water.  We stayed in the Paddington area, an easy walk to the tube station.  This is a reasonable location as you can get anywhere on the trains/tube.   We also spent a lot of time walking which is easy to do in London.  

Some of the highlights of London for me were Westminster Abbey, the boat tour on the Thames, and of course, Billy Elliot, the Musical.  Best of all it was just grand to explore with Mom and Stephanie.  

Westminster Abbey was so very interesting.  It was founded in 960 by Benedictine monks who continue to worship there to this day.  It has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place for 17 monarchs and over 3000 people, some of them the most famous in England's history.  The present church was built in 1245 and is filled with paintings stained glass, tapestries, and more.   Pictures were forbidden so you will just have to visit it yourself to appreciate the history contained within its walls.  (some text from website: http://www.westminster-abbey.org)   Westminster Cathedral is also impressive to walk through.  We had hoped to get to the top of the tower for the viewing area but it was closed.  If that is an option and you have a fairly clear day, I'd recommend it.  If you don't feel like hiking up multiple stories, just viewing the cathedral's main floor is worth your time.  

There are a few options for viewing London from the Thames river.  This is worthwhile and we meant to get the hop on, hop off boat but ended up on an hour tour with a hilarious narrator.  His commentary was worth the error and we laughed about some of his jokes for the rest of the trip.  

Camden Markets is a unique and cost effective option to grab lunch or early dinner and do some shopping.  There are many food booths, representing multiple nationalities.  Some of the vendors are located in the Stables Markets which is an old stable area that has been handsomely remodeled to house the vendors amid the doorways and arches.  

We all thought Billy Elliot was Fantastic!!  The Victoria Palace Theatre was rebuilt in 1910 and is a classic building.  The musical Billy Elliot has been playing there since 2005 and is also a movie so if you want to smile and laugh, rent and enjoy. 

Don't forget to click on the title of the blog to open in your browser so you can enjoy the slideshow below.

Happy New Year and may 2016 find you just where you want to be, with a happy heart and a smile on your face.

Stay tuned for more adventures back in Asia as I will be returning there just after New Year's day to join Corey in Langkawi Island, Malaysia.  This is a new location for both of us and should provide some interesting blog fodder.

Cheers!