London Day 5 & 6

So the story continues.  London day 5 has been another great day.

The day started with head colds.  I ventured out to th London New Year's Day parade which was a great production.  It had been a while since I attended a parade with lots of marching bands and even with street productions.  The New Year's Day parade is equivalent to our Macy's day parade.  It was slightly cold and windy but it was definitely worth battling Mother Nature.

Day 6

Yesterday we took a day trip to Stonehenge. We really didn't know what to expect but I believe we were both in awe and amazement.  Stonehenge is in the country side of London.  So there is lots of open land and even pigs, and sheep being farmed. 

The Stonehenge exhibit is well arranged. There is a visitor center and then busses take you to the stones.  

Well we are now sitting in the admirals club and making our way home from Heathrow.  I'm grateful for this opportunity.  This trip has given me some amazing realizations.  My suggestion to everyone who reads this post is that you pick up

The phone and call your best friend, brother, sister, spouse, or significant other and plan the trip of your lives.  Tomorrow is never promised.  Be intentional about today!!!

Much Love!

Kindrick

London Day 4

The last 4 days in London have been unbelievable.  We've gone from being extremely busy to a much slower pace. 

On day 4 (Thursday) we were planned to view the changing of the guard.  However, Mother Nature and our bodies had another plan.  We both woke up with congestion and sore throats.  

We gathered ourselves grabbed lunch from an amazing burger boutique (Byron) and then walked through the neighborhood that we are currently staying in. Islington is a beautiful neighborhood.  It looks like something right out of a romantic comedy.  In fact, we actually stumbled into a wedding.  Side note:  I'm very impressed with the Brits and their fashions. London is home of the skinny pant.

After our walk we returned to our hotel watched a movie, and prepares ourselves for dinner.  Our New Years Wve dinner took place at an Italian restaurant which is adjacent to our hotel.  I had a fear that if we wasted a lot of time looking for a restaurant that time would start to work against us and we would end up only being able to eat in the hotel restaurant.  We enjoyed our dinner, actually we enjoyed dessert (Honeycomb cheesecake) more than dinner.

We finished dinner and spent the evening on our hotel room.  Two bottles of champagne and toast and for 12:30 a.m. yours truly was snoring.

Happy New Year!!!  Nothing planned for day 5.  So I'll post more on Sunday!

London Day 3

Sorry about the late post.

Day 3 was uneventful.  We ventured over to Buckingham Palace took a few pics and planned where we try to stand for the Changing of the Guard on Thursday.  It started raining mid-day and so we did our best to avoid the rain.  The best way to avoid rain in London is to grab fish & chips.

We took refuge at The Shakespeare and enjoyed a King size serving of fish & chips.  Great lunch and great beer.  From Lunch we made our way back to our hotel.  Took a power nap and stepped out for our first night out on the town.

London nightlife was a lot of fun.  The Brits love their disco music.  It was perfect for Brian and I to pull off a quick jig.

It's been an amazing time here.  We have seen some awesome sights and are already talking about when we will return.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!!!

London Day 3

Our third day in London was filled with Regal Opulence.

If you remember on Monday we attempted to take a tour of the Tower of London but the Que (line) was too long and so we opted out.  We planned to be the first in line on Tuesday morning and we succeeded.  Our day started at 630 a.m. With breakfast in our hotel.  We then  started our journey to the Tower Hill Tube station.

Upon arriving at the exhibition we were pleased to see that along with a few other dedicated tourist we were one of few couples to be the first in line.  The Tower of London is an amazing attraction this is wear the Crown Jewels reside, and where many people who experienced Royal dissatisfaction were sent to be jailed until their executions were ordered by the residing King or Queen. 

This tour was amazing for Brian and I. I have been a lover of all things Tudor and Elizabethan for years.  There was a moment during the tour where I was actually so amazed that I began to cry.  People the likes of Queen Ann Boelyn, Jayne Seymour Grey (Queen for 9 days), and Sir Walter Raleigh once walked this land.  Unfortunately they were people who had found a way to Irritate King Henry VIII or Queen Elizabeth I.

Aside from the dark history of the London Tower it is also the home of the jewels of the throne.  Photographs are not permitted on the exhibit.  One of her majesty's diamonds is said to be valued at $30 billion USD.  Her majesty's jewelry box is a walk through safe. :-)

We finished our tour at London Tower and attempted to see Churchhills war Rooms.  The que for this exhibit was very long and so we walked away, passing through Buckingham Palace and back into the Westminster Tube.  In a last minute decision we decided to visit Windsor Castle. 

Our trip to Windsor Castle proves to be very exciting.  We got to see some of the country side of London.  After a few train connections we arrived at Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle is easily defined as BREATHTAKING!!  Windsor castle is  the oldest working castle in England.  The Queen resides there on Weekends and Prince Charles is the Castles full-time resident.  The castle instantly demands your attention with its architectural features, well manicured lawns, and perfectly placed and planned gardens.  However the love affair is only beginning.  A tour inside the castle leaves you speechless, the state room apartments are unexplainable. I can't imagine having the privilege to call such a place home.  Yet again the castle is not finished with romancing you.

Attached to Windsor Castle is St. George's Chapel.  The Chapel boast in beautiful architecture and is the home parish of the Royal Knights.    The chapel is a very important part of the history of England and Windsor Castle.

Our day finally ended at 6:30 in the evening.  We walked a total of 9 miles, climbed 23 stories, took 8 trains, and God knows what else.  London demands comfortable shoes.    However, it has been worth the moments of swollen ankles and spaghetti legs.

Thanks for Reading!!!!

London Day 2

Yesterday was a great day!

Our morning started with our normal trip into Picadilly Circus on the tube. We ventured into Leicester (Pronounced Lester) square to secure our Bus tour tickets.  Travel note:  when traveling to London, Paris, Rome etc. get the passes.  We purchased The London Pass which has proven to be a big benefit.  

Once our tickets were secure we boarded the bus and started our tour.  The bus tour gave us an opportunity to see all of the sights and then decide from there which sights were "must sees".  There is so much to see and do.  We realize that we will not be able to do it all. At some point in the day we hopped off of the bus and took the tune back to Tower Hill Station so we could grab a que for the Tower of London.  The question was extremely long and so we decided to try again tomorrow.  From there we visited the Tower Bridge.  The tower bridge allowed us an amazing view of London and the Rivier Thames (Pronounced Times).  After we finished that exhibit we ventured back to our Hotel.  Grabbed afternoon Tea (Pina colada and champagne) and took a sit still for an hour.  We finished our evening at a London Stwakhouse followed by a stroll through China Town.

London is a beautiful city.  Today we are up and moving at 7:15 a.m. To beat the lines at The Tower of London.  From there who knows where we will end up.

Thanks for Reading!

London Day 1

After almost a year of planning, we finally made it.  Our trip was without incident.  Very minor delays, but overall great travel experience.  

London is historically rich.  Yesterday (Sunday) when we arrived we purchased London passes, and Underground cards.  Riding the tube from Heathrow to Angel was not a bad experience.  It is about an hour or so journey.

We quickly checked into our hotel and tried to keep moving so we would not fall asleep.  We wanted to do our best to stay in alignment with local time. 

After checking into our hotel (Hilton Angel Islington) we ventured into Picadilly Circle.  The streets are super crowded with people from all over the world. A beautiful potpourri of people.  We grabbed Thai for lunch and continued to walk through the city.  Lunch reminded our bodies that we traveled overnight and quickly required us to rest.  A quick recharge in our hotel and we were out and about again.

The day ended with burgers and hot dogs from a nearby burger shop, and I grabbed a chai tea from the local Starbucks for bed.

Now it's 6:08 in the morning and we will soon be on our way to day 2.

Thanks for reading!

Happy New Year!

So this is my first official post of 2013. It has most definitely been a while since I have visited old faithful. 2012 has been an interesting year. I cant even begin to put into words how I feel about 2012. Let's just say that the flight attendant closed the cabin door, and 5 minutes later we were preparing for landing. Although the year seemed to speed by, it did not fail to bring its fair share of lessons, heartaches, and "life changing moments". Even at this very moment, I am on the cusp of challenging situations, and life lessons. The later part of the month brought trying times for me, and I continue to march through those. I wanted to take this opportunity to share with my cyber world the lesson that I learned. Tonight I learned that although I thought I was maintaining my Integrity by following through on a negotiated agreement, I am in fact, not maintaining my integrity. A friend of mine made me clearly see that although I am keeping my integrity for the other party, I have compromised my integrity by neglecting myself of happiness, peace, and all that comes with being me. That speaks volumes. Question: Are you in a situation where you are trying to do right by the other person, but at your own cost? If so, ask yourself, What am I neglecting myself of? That is about it. Think on these things! Love Hard, Live Well, Laugh Often! Much Love! -K p.s. Dont get caught up in the dogma of New Years Resolutions!