Cheap UggsBuy Cheap Nike
travel « NathanAmy.com

November 16, 2011

A Whole Lot of London!

I think we are finally on London time! We awoke this morning and headed down to the “Breakfast Basement” at our hotel where we had the option of coffee or tea, orange juice, and ham & tomato or hard-boiled eggs, or a fried egg, bacon, and beans. Having tried the beans yesterday and not liking them Nathan and I opted for fried egg, bacon, and no beans. Delicious and free traditional English breakfast- check! Just another perk at our Victoria hotel, Luna Simone.

After our hearty breakfast we set out to see St. Paul’s Cathedral- something we skipped on Monday because of the fog. Arriving at the Cathedral around 10am we set out to climb the dome first. Hundreds of stairs later we arrived at the tip-top of St. Paul’s Dome with jaw-dropping views of London. So glad we skipped this during the fog and waited for God to do his thing and drop down some sunshine! Definitely worth the climb and cost (sidenote: buy the travelcard from a National Rail station and get the 2for1 offers at various London attractions- we are saving over $100 using this method and the weeklong travelcards for both of us only cost around $86!)

Next stop: Westminster! Arriving at Westminster Underground station we set out on Westminster Bridge to get some awesome shots and views of Parliament and Big Ole Ben. A little bit surreal to see some of London’s iconic sights! Onward to Westminster Abbey where we did not have a 2for1 ticket, but the price was still worth it. The included audio guide on this tour was a lifesaver and so informative! It really detailed what we were seeing and gave more history than we would have gotten otherwise. While there I kept trying to imagine where the 100s (1000s?) of people were seated during William and Kate’s wedding- I’ll have to do a google image search…

Onward to lunch at Westminster Arms- a small pub that after we had eaten there noticed that our Rick Steve’s guide book suggested eating there before going to the Cabinet War Rooms- which is exactly what we did! We split an order of fish and chips and a coke. Delish!

The Cabinet War Rooms were surprisingly awesome. I was unsure about doing this sight/museum, but once I realized that it focused on Winston Churchill during WWII I knew it was something Nathan would love, he’s got a thing for that era… (We also had another 2for1 coupon here!) Again, make sure and pick up the included audio guide- so great to get background details on the bunker/bomb proof spaces that Churchill strategized WWII from.

After learning a lot about the UK during WWII we headed over to Trafalgar Square to get some touristy pictures with the lions and tour the well known artists in The National Gallery (free). I adore Monet so of course we hit those paintings up along with some Rembrandt, Da Vinci (we actually got to see The Last Supper from a distance- crazy awesome!), Michaelangelo, Raphael, (typing this out makes me want to watch some TMNT), Van Gogh, and Renoir. We did kind of zoom through this museum, at this point in the day we were pretty museumed out.
All afternoon I was pretty darn excited because I was taking Nathan to see Wicked for the first time that night!!! (I’ve seen it in NYC with Jessica before :-) After the Gallery we headed back to the Luna Simone for a little rest break and to get fancied up for dinner and the theatre.

On to Bumbles we went where we ordered a bottle of Gewurztraminer (yum, one of my faves!) and we each ordered the 10 pound special 3-course meal. I got soup, pork, and brownie for dessert. Nathan got salad, fish and chips, and vanilla ice cream. Bumbles was highly recommended on the Trip Advisor board and I agree. Their customer service was excellent, food delicious, and the price just right.

Wicked was fantastic! It was different hearing the British accent from the actors, but it seemed to add a bit more class. I didn’t really like the actor that played Glenda the good witch in comparison to the New York version of Glenda. Her tone of voice and her acting in general just didn’t compare. Alphaba on the other hand was fantastic. Either way, everyone on stage had amazing talent in the singing department- wow- just wow.

Gotta wrap this up now, we’re heading out to Windsor Castle tomorrow!!!

~Amy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 15, 2011

Tower, bridge, art, and luxury mall

Action pack day 2 in London was a hoot despite the gray sky. We started out adventure at the Tower of London where we some of the crown jewels of the monarch. Of course the jewels could not be photographed. All I could think when looking at all of the different robes, crowns, scepters was how could someone actually prance around wearing such things. This and many other reasons are why I am not royalty. That is cool though. The structures of the tower were pretty cool, but honestly I was more impressed by the work of the Incas. This is likely due to the fact that I view the Europeans as having more advanced tools….oh and the Incas did not need mortar for their stone work. Definitely cool to see a true castle structure and a place I have only read about or seen in movies.

Next up was the Tower Bridge. It is a bridge. It is old. We walked across it. I think that is about it.

After a quick bite to eat we hit the Tate a modern art museum. While there we saw a mix of wows which included Monet and Picasso, and a New York artist of which I cannot remember the name along with the standard bunch of “okay?”s. Art that attempts to defining meaning in life typically falls on my not so interesting list. That and of course the many art pieces that seem to be a cry for attention by lashing out at others.

Lastt stop of the day was Harrod’s. I honestly had no clue about this place, but Amy mentioned it was a must and she is not wrong about these things. Harrod’s is a luxury department store. From what I could observe and learn from the fact that they get upwards of 30k visitors a day (not sales, people coming in/out) I realized this place is as much of a luxury brand as the very brands (like Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton) they sold.

And scene.

 

If there is something more I should mention as I talk about our trip please feel free to let me know. :-)

~Nathan
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

November 13, 2011

Arrival in London

Today we arrived in London and true to Nathan & Amy fashion we immediately went to work starting to experience the city we are in. We started off with the British museum, which contains one of the largest collections of historical artifacts from all over the world. It was overwhelming how many periods and cultures were covered. After the museum we headed over to Hillsong’s London campus. It was a blessing to get to worship at both Hillsong and River Valley Church this weekend. Worship at Hillsong was precisely what I would expect from a church that puts out as much music as they do. We only say part of one song Amy and I knew, but we really enjoyed worshiping with this body of believers. After Hillsong we headed over to St George’s Tavern for fish and chips. The fish portion was HUGE and the chips were a bit sparse. The fish was delicious, but the tavern had run out of tartar sauce to Amy’s dismay. Quick on her feet she quickly whipped some ketchup and mayonnaise into a delicious sauce. After dinner it was back to the hotel to start getting on adjusting to the +6 hour time change. For just 9 hours of being here we have already squared away 3 to-do items. I love the way Amy plans to help us maximize every minute we are on the ground when traveling.
(photos are all “raw” in that they are straight from the camera. No time for editing at this point.)

~Nathan
Tags: , , , , , , ,

September 9, 2011

Washington D.C., It Is Kind of a Big Deal

Let me just say that if you are a traveler and have never been to Washington D.C., make it a priority in the coming year. I honestly thought it would be kind of cool with a lot of interesting history and museums to see. I was right, but I did not realize how awesome it would be to see so much of what this country is based on. Seeing the real Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights was nothing short of a touching experience. The amount of monuments, museums, and government buildings blew me away. Amy and I spent 3 days in D.C. and we did not see the half of it. Since we saw so much I am only going to outline some of the key places we saw.

Mt. Vernon

Home and final resting place of George Washington, the man who defined the presidency. At the close of the American Revolution General Washington was in a position, and even encouraged, to take a role of king/chancellor/emperor of the United States. Through wisdom and the grace of God, Washington relinquished the authority of the Continental army back to the Continental Congress and gracefully stepped away. At this time in history such an act had never been done. This was a defining moment for the course of American history.
It is no wonder why President Washington preferred to be at his estate on the Potomac as opposed to at the capitol, Mt. Vernon is a gorgeous place. From the rolling hills of forrest to the bank of the Potomac the scenery is candy for the eye and soothing to the day-to-day stress we all seem to find in our modern society. It was quite a treat to be able to tour the grounds and even the mansion. Although I did find many of the placards along the grounds comical as it seemed that the historical foundation seems to have a quite from Washington for every little inanimate object found on the property. What I find amusing is the lack of context to the quotes…spewing out a one-liner can mean a lot of different things depending on preceded it or came after. What if Washington followed the quote with an “LOL” of his time?

Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.)

All I am going to say here is Gilmore Girls.

Washington Monument

It is tall, seriously. Amy and I had tickets to go into the monument, but unfortunately due to the earthquake a week prior to our arrival they are not letting people into the monument on account of a crack that formed near the top. Due to the monument’s location and height you get a lot of great views of it from all around the National Mall.

World War 2 Memorial

The WW2 memorial is a rotunda that has an engraved pillar for the fallen from each of the fifty states. There is also two relief sculptures around the rotunda. Half of it is dedicated to the Atlantic campaign and the other half is dedicated to the Pacific campaign. There is also a memorial wall with stars signifying the soldiers who lost their lives in WW2. You would be hard pressed not to acknowledge high price of our freedom that we take for granted daily while glancing at the x number of stars that each represent 100 people that paid the price.

Holocaust Museum

The Holocaust museum opened my eyes to the fact that the world, yes even the U.S., ignored and blocked Jewish people from immigrating to escape persecution. I have watched and read a good deal about the Holocaust and it is amazing how this aspect is so rarely mentioned.

Archives of the United States

Visiting the Archives was nothing short of being worth the trip to D.C. on it’s own. Why? Because see the real Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights was almost unreal. Seeing them in person made you think about what these documents meant in the day of their composition and what a monumental change for world history that they signify. It is incredible. When I heard the encasements cost $5 million dollars later on I did not even bat an eye for what those documents mean and stand for makes this a trivial cost in preserving these key pieces of history.

Fairly conclusive list of sites we saw

  • Lincoln Memorial Pond
  • Vietnam Memorial
  • Korean War Memorial
  • Lincoln Memorial
  • MLK jr Monument
  • Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) (depression, 1933) Monument
  • Thomas Jefferson Monument
  • Union Station
  • National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
  • Smithsonian(forgot which one)
  • White House
  • Capitol building
  • Library of Congress
  • Bureau of Engraving and Printing
  • Smithsonian Air and Space

 

Key Learnings

  • Plan to spend 4 hours at each museum.
  • Government buildings plan 2 hours.
  • Monuments plan about an hour each with walking time included.
  • You will not see or do the majority of D.C. in 3 days.

~Nathan
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Newer Posts — Older Posts »