The Big London Adventure
We saved the best for today since we knew we could use the tube to get around. Since there were also later trains, we didn't have to get up and go super early. We had a relaxed plan to hit Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the London Eye, and then A was taking us to Chinatown and some other good spots.
We went straight to Buckingham Palace and saw there were a lot of people at the gates. And that's when we realized, we had coincidentally arrived at the perfect time to see the changing of the guard. Even A had never seen it, so it was really cool to experience it for the first time all together. We wound up at the gate where they marched past us with their trumpets and guns.
After seeing the changing of the guard, we walked through St. James park to head towards Big Ben. The park is beautifully shaded. Did I mention it was almost 80F today? I mean it shouldn't bother us considering we're from Cuba/Florida respectively, but imagine thawing out all of a sudden! We stopped at a stand for some much needed 99 flake ice cream. It is a very smooth and creamy treat that isn't really sweet, topped with a Cadbury chocolate flake. A perfect snack for this weather.
As we got nearer to Big Ben and Westminster, we could see the clock face in the distance. Of course I knew it had been under construction for almost five years, but I read recently that the face was uncovered, so we'd at least see part of it. When looking through the trees, it was almost as if there was no scaffolding.
Turns out, it was completely unveiled! Another first for A as well, since it was covered last time she was downtown. We did our tourist duty and posed in front of the tower, while visiting the phone booths and had a good laugh at the silliness of it all. We just couldn't believe our luck.
Past Big Ben is the Westminster bridge, which we crossed to get a good view of the London Eye before crossing back over on the Hungerford/Golden Jubilee bridge. We stopped at Whitehall Gardens, where we were greeted by one (out of 19 sculptures around the city) of the Queen's Corgis. This one was named Emma, after the real counterpart.
Then it was time for some good food...to Chinatown!! We walked by Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square on the way as well. The Leicester square statues were pretty neat, like Harry Potter, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Mary Poppins. Then A took us around so we could see the main entrance to Chinatown.
Pork buns, Taiyaki, Thai fried popcorn chicken with sweet plum seasoning, boba tea, and custard buns, OH MY! Never have I tried so many new foods at once which I absolutely loved. At this point, we were full of food and sunshine, ready to fall asleep on our feet. But we strolled through some famous places like Oxford Circle, Soho, and Carnaby Street, still getting our fill of the city. It was great to see the sights, especially with some leftover Jubilee mixed with future Pride decorations.
We called it a day after this, going back to A's place to recharge a bit before dinner at the local pub. It was a great day, made even greater by spending it with a friend from home.
