London, UK

Oh London, you had us at Hello! Such a welcoming and friendly city! You can find anything in London. There are approximately 9 million people in London speaking over 300 languages. So much diversity, language, and culture all in one city.

Our favorite meals were Greek (Milos) and Indian, and the fish and chips did not disappoint! We saw the major sites: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, Tower of London, Tower Bridge and went up in the London eye (giant, slow-moving ferris wheel with amazing views of London).

London was Zachary’s favorite city so far because they have a giant Lego store with huge replicas of Big Ben and Harry Potter characters. They also have a 3-story m&m store! Many street performers and musicians helped the city come alive! We did a walking tour as well as the double decker hop-on/off bus.

The royal family’s history is so evident all over London and it was so impressive to see some of the royal palaces and gardens. I am impressed by how accurately the Netflix series ‘The Crown’ portrays the Royal Family’s history. For me, it was surreal to see the city and imagine the queen (and now king) in the palace or at a royal ceremony.

There are pubs on every corner and each have a royal crest above the door delineating their name. The pubs all smelled of beer and fried fish and seemed to have the same menus. A Shepards pie, fish & chips, burger, sausage roll, served with peas. The crowds were lively and every pub had patrons standing out on the streets more than inside the pub.

A highlight of London was definitely the theater! There are so many shows to choose from while there. We saw Wicked at the Palace theater in London! It was a great show and we really loved seeing it in London!

We have been lucky enough to be in Europe for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship. We watched Renaldo play and win in Portugal, Spain win while we were in Barcelona, and England win in London! The fans are wild and so fun to watch during the matches.

You could easily spend a week or more in London, but we only spent 4 days, so we will plan to go back again. London’s weather is so unpredictable, otherwise, it would be great place to live! We were there in July and it was cold and rainy (high of 65 degrees). We made the most of it and still ventured out and saw tons of sights!

Until next time, London. . . we will see you again!