Winter Break 2012 :: Europe Trip Part I: London Calling
What's the best Christmas present I've EVER received? And the best way I've EVER spent winter break?
Well, that would have to be our family trip to Europe! My mom, sister, and I traveled to London, Paris, and Nuremberg, Germany, from December 13-23. Lots of travel, sightseeing, shopping, eating, and simply spending time together made for an unforgettable experience. I'll be breaking my re-cap into three blog posts - one for each destination. So, here's LONDON:
To prevent myself from carrying on and on (you should see my 500+ pictures on FB), here are a few great moments:
1. Les Miserables - no, not the movie - the on-stage performance! This is one of my favorite musicals, adapted from Victor Hugo's novel depicting 19th-century France on the brink of revolution. We enjoyed this spectacular show on our first night in London. Check out this video of my favorite song from Les Mis, performed at the 10th Anniversary Concert by Lea Salonga:
2. Double-Decker Sightseeing Tour - this was the source of about half of my pictures from the whole trip! Having never been outside of North America, I was excited to see buildings that were more than one or two-hundred years old. London did not disappoint! We saw Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Elizabeth Tower (often confused with Big Ben, which is actually the name of the bell inside the famous tower), the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, and countless other well-known sites. Our tour guide gave us a great historical overview of the city - including the Great Fire of 1666, the reign of Queen Victoria, the construction of Shakespeare's Globe, and many other significant points of history to the Brits. She even pointed out fun sites like JK Rowling's apartment and Margaret Thatcher's home. I definitely recommend tours like these if you want to see a lot of the city in a short amount of time.
3. Carols at Westminster Abbey - what a concert this was! A young boy's choir sang Christmas carols on the evening of Sunday, December 15, our last day in London. The church is not only home to normal worship services, but also major events such as Prince William and Kate's wedding a couple of years ago. The building looked even more beautiful at night than it did on our tour during the day!
4. Tea at Bea's of Bloomsbury - oh the desserts!!! The three of us enjoyed afternoon tea and a huge tiered platter of desserts at this little tea shop in London. The Brits take their tea seriously, and as I was recovering from strep throat, I had to take the green tea seriously as well. We enjoyed vanilla caramel cupcakes, scones with strawberry jam, double chocolate brownies, chocolate meringues, and many other delicacies. If your mouth isn't watering yet, check out their website for pictures that will certainly do the trick!
5. Shopping at Harrods - the world's greatest department store! If you think Macy's in New York is the best, what with that great big parade in November and all, think again! Harrods has to be the most luxurious, grandiose shopping experience on the planet. I'm not just talking multiple stories, but rooms across rooms of perfumes, furs, fashion boots, Christmas toys...and then you have the food! An ice cream parlour, a room dedicated to seafood, another to wine, and the list goes on and on. Unsurprisingly, we had quite the task in trying to simply find the exit!
Overall, London was a great way to kick of our trip to Europe! On Monday morning, it was time to take the "Chunnel" to Paris, where the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Elysees awaited...
