Katelyn, Kristen, and I spent a week in England! Here are the pictures to prove it. Our first stop: Platform 9 3/4. Hogwarts is real.
We decided that English coins are rather silly. The 2 pence coin is so big! And the 1 pound coin (not pictured) is really thick and probably almost weighs a pound (pun intended).
We visited Buckingham Palace! It's a shame that we couldn't go inside. Most of the palaces and castles don't open until July. So we just marveled from the outside.
The London Eye!
Big Ben! Actually, Big Ben is the bell.
A couple of cuties admiring Big Ben.
Classic photo--we had to. Fun fact: these telephone booths smell like urine. It's rather repulsive.
The skyline is gorgeous!
I'm glad this was painted at almost every crosswalk in London. We automatically look to the left when we cross the street, but that doesn't help you in England!
Westminster Abbey!
On our first night at our hostel/tavern, we watched the Football match between England and Ukraine. We ordered fish and chips and cheered along with the other Brits!
Just hanging out in downtown London, that's all. :)
Changing of the guard. Now I understand where the idea for marching band members to wear those funny hats came from.
Sherlock Holmes Museum! Kristen was in heaven.
Highlight of the trip: Seeing Les Mis! One of my favorite experiences ever. And definitely my favorite musical. I loved the book, and now I'm so happy that I finally got to see the musical! It was really good. Javert was phenomenal, and all the songs gave me chills and goosebumps!
After Les Mis, we ate at Wagamama--a delicious noodle bar. If you ever happen to stumble across one, you must indulge. Then, we walked around the city and saw it lit up at night. First up: Tower Bridge, not to be confused with the London Bridge.
Longing.
Tower Bridge again. :)
We rode the "tube" quite often. London is such a big and busy city, that the trains come every minute. Unlike in Berlin, where you can wait anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes for a train. Also, the doors close like a guillotine! You have literally .07 seconds to make sure your body is completely clear form the door. In Berlin, there are 3 beeps, and the doors close a little more slowly. Not in London! So that was quite the experience. Also, please mind the gap.
There are quite a few free museums to visit! We saw a dinosaur exhibit! :)
After London, we stayed in Northampton, a small town (it will never be a city because boy oh boy does royalty know how to hold a grudge) about 2 hours north of London. We visited a 500 year old estate called Canons Ashby. It was really neat!
We ate scones in the tea room. :)
Smelled some flowers.
Admired the beauty of England! It reminds me a bit of Pennsylvania, with all the greenery, hills, and windy roads. :)
I was allowed to play this piano! For real! I felt like I was living in the 1500s. It was really cool :)
After Germany's football match against Greece, we went on a little walk around the quaint neighborhood.
This is at another museum in Birmingham (pronounced "birming-im"). We like to be little children sometimes and do the activities that are for kids.
Also, this painting is the definition of "frech." Man, is he cheeky.
We took a canal tour! Birmingham has more canals than Venice.
Just wandering around Coventry.
Ruins of a Cathedral. It looks like a skeleton without the stained glass.
Kristen being thoughtful, like always. :)
England was a lot of fun, but I was excited to come back to Berlin, even if it was just for one day. It was really difficult to adjust to English after being surrounded by German for 2 months. Also, English people are so lovely! They were always so helpful and kind, even without us asking. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they love Americans, or the fact that we can understand everything they're saying (well, in most dialects), or a combination of many other things. In Berlin, we did a few last things that were absolutely necessary before we said goodbye for good (well, hopefully I'll get to visit again)! Like get a Döner at Mustafa's. It was raining, yet Mustafa's still had a long line. But it was totally worth waiting 40 minutes in a rain for something so delicious. :)
Now my group and I are on a week long road trip down to Vienna. First stop: Dresden!!
