We left on Friday the 19th, and returned on Monday the 22nd of February. Yes we were only there for two days, but they were amazing, and I loved every second I was there. We stayed in an AirBnB in Kensington, and the host was extremely lovely and helpful. The location of where we stayed was also great, because it was only around 20 mins to central London via the Underground. The weather was cold (as expected), but we also were very lucky, because it stayed mostly sunny while we were there.
The first day there we toured central London, starting with The London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. The warmth of the souvenir shop dragged me and my mom inside and walked out spending probably much more than we should have. I have no regrets :) After that we walked to Buckingham Palace, which I wanted to tour but we couldn't because "The Queen is in residence" . I understand. Maybe next time Queen Elizabeth. We then did a bit more shopping ( I couldn't resist Topshop) and had lunch at Nando's, somewhere I've always wanted to eat. And yes, it was pretty yummy :) After this, we saw the Tower of London and London Bridge, but at this point I started to get cold, tired, and dare I say it, grumpy. It also started raining which didn't really help the mood. But the day wasn't over yet! We then saw St. Paul's Cathedral, who one child commented to his mom " It doesn't look like a church, it looks more like a castle". It sounds about 10 times cuter with a british accent, trust me. A candy shop caught our eye and we had my favorite treat from the trip, clotted cream fudge. It is amazing. I wish we had gotten more. After this we took another bus to King's Cross and the famous Platform 9 3/4. After queuing (see how British I am?) for about 15-20 minutes, we were able to take the famous pictures. Then we stopped at Harrod's, in which we saw the random/elaborate Egyptian staircase, the fancy-shmancy Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and the delectable food hall, where we got our dinner. I honestly still can't believe just how much we were able to do in one day, we definitely got lucky.
The second day started with church, and the church building is amazing. It's in an extremely nice area, West Kensington, and is on the same street that all the museums are found on. It used to be a bomb site after WWII until the church was able to purchase it, and the what they did with it is just incredible. The sister missionaries there were also extremely sweet. After this we took about an hour train ride outside London, and then took a bus to Leavesden. But this particular bus took us to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour! I took so many pictures, too many pictures. Seeing all the sets, props, and costumes that went into making the Harry Potter movies was just so incredible. For a Harry Potter nerd like me who has loved the books and movies since the age of seven, there honestly is nothing better. And there were so many things to do as well. For example, we learned some pretty cool wand moves ;) But really, I loved it. The very first thing you see is the Great Hall, and the very last is a huge model of the entire castle. I loved and in awe the whole experience, and I'm so happy I was able to go. In the evening we were able to meet up for pizza with my friend Margaret who is currently studying abroad there for a semester. It was definitely a nice, relaxing evening, and so much fun to catch up.
Obviously this is just a rough summary of everything we did, details ( like the fact I took the wrong train twice) are not always important ;) Overall, the whole trip was incredible and I am happy and grateful that my mom was willing to take me there. I love to travel, experience new things, and learn about different cultures and I am definitely blessed to have parents that also love to travel and have given me the ability to do so. Thank you again mom! I love you!
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