Please Let Us In...We Just Want to Meet the QUEEN!!!

The red phone booths of London...They are real!! :)

We finally made a trip out to LONDON!!! Considering we are only a 25 minute train ride away from the heart of downtown, I am really surprised it took us three weeks to make a trip out there. But it was well worth the wait!
I can't even begin to explain the excitement I had on the train ride into London.  I just knew that it was going to be a great day and I was going to fall in love with the amazing city that I have been hearing all about...and I most certainly did.

Kayley and I outside Buckingham Palace

Once we arrived in London, we hopped on a double decker bus to get to Buckingham Palace.  After getting a little turned around a couple times...we made it just in time to see the very end of the changing of the guards.  All of my dreams of trying to make the guards laugh quickly went out the door when I saw how far away we were from them. Nonetheless, we spent the morning admiring the beauty of Buckingham Palace and everything that came along with it..the gates, the guards, the parks, everything.

Buckingham Palace :)

After a beautiful stroll and a few family pictures later...we decided to have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe London.  It was so great to see all of the memorabilia they had, especially the Beatles stuff! We enjoyed our meal of ranch dressing with a side of food and then continued on in our London adventure.

Crazy kids having lunch at Hard Rock Cafe London

There was only one bad thing about London...the birds! Now I know that many people enjoy strolling through the park feeding the ducks and admiring all of the beautiful variety of birds, but let me tell you something.  I am terrified of birds.  So our long stroll through St. James Park was definitely not my cup of tea.

Absolutely terrified

As uncomfortable as it was, I survived the park and we made it to Parliament Sqaure, home of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.  There were so many people out and about.  It was so busy and exciting, I absolutely loved it.  Apparently it was New Zealand's independence day, so there were tons of crazy people in ridiculous costumes running around and yelling things that I couldn't quite understand.  It was really a site to see.

Big Ben! So proud of my photography skills :)

Somehow, we lucked into getting a tour of Parliament, which they only do on Saturdays during the day. I have been to Washington DC a few times and seen plenty of government buildings in my life, so I really wasn't expecting much. But boy was I wrong! Inside Parliament was on of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen in my entire life.  Everything was so intricately made and full of history.  We even got to see the Queen's throne! I wish so badly that we were allowed to take pictures, but I know I will never forget the beauty of that place.  If you ever get a chance to go to London, definitely get a tour inside Parliament, it is totally worth it.

All of us in front of Big Ben...even prettier at night!

We spent most of the time that night just admiring the many sites of London along the River Thames and took a gazillion pictures of Big Ben and Parliament, which as so pretty at night time!
We finished off our adventure in London by having dinner in Covent Garden, a big shopping and entertainment center.  While we waited for our table to be ready, we watched some of the street performers and saw an absolutely adorable proposal!

OU all over the world! Even London!!

Our dinner was traditional English food and absolutely delicious.  I guess I should probably bite my tongue about dissing it earlier because my dinner was fantastic!
Although our night got cut a little short by some anxious boys wanting to get back to the university, it was really a wonderful day in London and I can't wait to go back!

Dinner at Sophie's Steakhouse in Covent Garden

Time is going by so strangely here...the relationships that I have with people here make me feel like I have been here forever because I am so close to them. But at the same time, the weeks are just flying by. I can't believe we have already been here for three weeks!! Slow down please, time!!

Please let us in...we just want to meet the QUEEN!!