It's London, Baby! (Part III)... FINALLY!

(First thing's first.  Go check out Established: 2008, where I'm guest-posting about my hatred of bottled salad dressing and an absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS two-for-one recipe!)

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What?  Just because I'm not posting this until two and a half months after I got back, you assumed I forgot to share my final London post with you guys?

Truth be told, I sort of did.  But mostly, I've just had heck with my personal laptop and only recently got a few pictures transferred over to my work pc.  So let me just remind you where I left off (see Part One and Part Two). 

I had managed to set aside an entire day for site-seeing (which was a miracle considering that I had five depositions to take and prepare for while I was there and expert reports to finish the week I got back).  And I saved the three things I was most excited for for that day:  Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and St. Paul's Cathedral.

I got off the subway (or the "tube") at the proper stop and was utterly bewildered when I saw multiple people dressed up in bizarre costumes like this to pose with tourists (for a small fee, of course).  I successfully managed to convince them that I wasn't interested in their services and carried on (after snapping a picture for you guys, obvi).

I immediately came upon Parliament and Big Ben up close and just marveled.  I had seen it on my bus tour on my first day there, but it was even more impressive than I had remembered.

I wasn't able to take the time to go in and observe anything, as I really wanted to be able to take my time at Westminster Abbey.

And when I finally caught my first glimpse?

I cried.

It's just so incredibly beautiful and moving, and there was so much history everywhere I looked. 

Unfortunately, pictures were prohibited inside the church, but I did manage to sneak a few with my iPhone.  (I know that that makes me a terrible person, but I just couldn't help myself.)

This is inside King Henry VII's chapel, which was incredible.

This was in the main part of the church.  Truly, y'all.  I couldn't get over how gorgeous and sobering this place was.

If I posted all of the pictures I took of Westminster Abbey, you guys would be here awhile, so I'll move on.  After I grabbed London's finest attempt at BBQ (which was actually pretty decent), I headed to go check out the Tower of London.

If you don't know much about the Tower of London, check out the deets here.  Basically, it's a castle that was built in 1066 and has served as a royal residence and a prison (it was where Elizabeth was held before she became queen and where Anne Boleyn was beheaded), among other things.

I felt very small and young standing there, where so many things I'd read about took place.

After I wandered through all of the buildings (including that holding the crown jewels... amazing, but no pictures allowed), I left and took a stroll across Tower Bridge.

It was windy, but worth it.  Check out the view.

The juxtaposition of old and new was so fantastic to me.

After that, I headed toward the center of town where St. Paul's cathedral was located.  I missed visiting hours, so I couldn't go in, but I did snap a picture or two.

As nearly everything else in London, this place was gorgeous.

At this point, I was pretty much spent.  Thankfully, I remembered to pack my Converse (when I went to NYC, I only packed cute shoes.  Never again...), so I had enough energy to take a stroll in search of a delicious Italian restaurant.  I found a cute little hole-in-the-wall place, grabbed a seat in the back and made friends with some locals who were convinced they could never come to Texas because they didn't know how to ride a horse.  I tried to convince them that we have roads and cars, but they weren't buying it...

I came home the next day.

I was so ready to come home to my love, but I won't lie, you guys...  I definitely left a piece of my heart in London.  I doubt I'll go back, as I don't think Micah would really appreciate it the way I did, and I don't thing any subsequent trip could compare to the magic of this one.  But it was definitely the trip of a lifetime (and paid for by work!), and I'll treasure the memories I made for many years to come.