Fife's in the UK (The English Chapter)

I'm back!  I have one more HUGE post, and then I can get back to what I love doing - blogging about our day-to-day life.  Don't get me wrong.  I love commemorating and documenting these trips through our blog, but WOW, does it take a lot of time and energy!  Add to that a VERY active four and two-year old, and you get a month-lag between the actual trip, and the blogging about the trip.

Also, staring at these images everyday just makes me want to go back.  We had the trip of a lifetime in one of the most beautiful places on this earth.  So, let's start from the beginning.  Last Winter, our neighbors/good friends Son (who is also a good friend, and NEW neighbor), asked his beautiful girlfriend Gillian to marry him, on a boat in the middle of Central Park in NYC.   Thankfully, she said YES, and a wedding was in the works.

We were so excited, and truthfully, honored, to learn that we would be invited to this wedding that would take place in Glasgow, Scotland.  Despite our excitement, with two kids, and countless responsibilities and obligations, we were hesitant to start packing our bags.  Somehow, (We asked Jordan's Mom), the stars aligned, (Jordan's Mom, Mary Ann, and Jordan's Aunt, Alice agreed to come), and it was official - we were going to Great Britain!

Jordan and I haven't been on a vacation together that lasted more than 4 nights since our honeymoon.  Needless to say, this was above and beyond that, and we could not have been more excited.  Jordan had never been to Europe, and up until this past June (see my Italy post), I had not either.  We started planning immediately.

With the numerous kids activities, work obligations, social events and everyday life, the four months flew by, and it was suddenly time to board a British Airways flight to London.

London

We landed, and had a busy schedule, first up was heading to the Savoy to check-in, drop our bags, and grab a quick shower.  The hotel was all we had hoped it would be, all we had heard it would be, and so much more.  It just felt like what I thought London was supposed to feel like.  I loved it from the moment we got out of the cab.

We quickly headed out to explore the city, starting with some fish and chips, and the London Eye.

We had a great first day exploring the top sites in London.  We headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Our first dinner in London was at a restaurant called Benares.  Jordan's cousin Ryan lives in London,  and this place came recommended by him.  In fact, a lot of our London sites and tours came recommended by Ryan.  We were totally grateful for suggestions from someone who knew the city so well.  It made our quick, two night stay in London totally efficient and successful.  Although I would have loved to have stayed longer, I felt like we were able to get a really good taste of London in the short time we had thanks to Ryan, and other friends suggestions.

Although we were unable to meet Ryan's family (his wife and two children), due to chicken pox :-/, we were able to see Ryan and catch up.  He met us at the Savoy, and we headed out to Benares.  It was hands down, the best Indian food I've ever had.  I don't think I've ever eaten at a Michelin Star restaurant, which this place was, and it definitely held up to the standards a Michelin Star denotes.

After dinner we headed to Picadilly Circus, and had a couple beers (pints), at a local pub.  Truthfully, it was all these weary travelers could have handled.

The next morning Jordan woke up and went for a run.  It was amazing how things that just hours later would be wall-to-wall people were totally deserted.

As tempting as it all sounded, at least for photography sake, I opted to get some extra rest and stayed in bed.

Once Jordan got back, we both got moving, and headed out in search of a proper English breakfast.

Believe me, it is

so

much better than this picture depicts.  It was basically my breakfast every morning, which explains why the moment I got back to Texas, I started a 21 day eating and training challenge!

The rest of the day was spent much like the one before…

First up was the Gherkin, which is in London's Financial District, and high on Jordan's list.

From there, we headed to get some views of The London and Tower Bridges.

London Bridge is actually very underwhelming, which explains why I have only a picture of the London Bridge sign.

More pictures of Tower Bridge to come, as we rode across it on our bike tour later this day.

At this point, we decided to take the Underground over to Buckingham Palace area to try and catch the changing of the guard.

This was definitely the most crowded/touristy thing we did while in London, but I totally recommend it for the pageantry and tradition that you get to experience firsthand.

We didn't stay the whole time, partly because of the rain, and partly because it just took a really long time!

We headed back towards the Savoy, and decided to stop for a quick bite to eat before our bike tour that afternoon.  As we sat and enjoyed our lunch, Jordan, no joke, may have saved a life.  When he noticed that the man behind me was having problems breathing, after he had tried to swallow a bite of his sandwich, my husband hopped up and preformed the heimlich maneuver.  Luckily, it only took a couple squeezes, and the man was able to start breathing again.  I'm pretty sure Jordan talked about this story at least once a day for the remainder of the trip ;).

Next up was our bike tour of London.  We booked the tour online, and really had no idea how many people would be on it.

Well, it turns out, we were the only ones that booked, so we were basically going to have a private tour!  Not only were we the only ones on the tour, but they decided to bring two extra tour guides that were learning this new route.  As a result, the guides outnumbered us by one!

Touring by bike was a

perfect

way to see London.  Especially, if you are strapped on time, as Jordan and I were.

After a busy day, it was time to head back, and get ready for dinner.  We showered up, and headed for dinner at Gordon Ramsey's Savoy Grill.

Unfortunately, this was a bit of a disappointment.  The food was in no way

bad.  

The scallops actually may have been some of the best I've ever had.  I don't know what I was expecting, but after years of watching Gordon Ramsey shows, I think I was looking for much more of a dining experience.  Granted, this is not our first choice of his restaurants, and other options had much higher reviews.  This was just the only one we could get a reservation on a Sunday night a month and half out.

Our last night in London was spent walking around the city and despite forgetting my tripod, setting up, and taking some long exposure shots of London.

The images certainly could have been sharper, but without a tripod for support, I'm happy with the way they turned out.

London was fabulous, and a city I definitely want to go back and experience again.  On to Edinburgh!