Look kids, Big Ben! Parliament!
This marks the beginning of our last major trip of the summer. It was no easy task, but after 11 weeks I finally got my passport and was ready to cross the ocean.
With a certified copy of her birth certificate, driver's license, marriage license, retina scan, and passport with her maiden name, Hannah was along for the ride too!
Not to sound spoiled, but I don't know if flying business class on my first trip across the pond is a good thing. I guess I will just have to work for an airline forever or just never take a flight longer than 3 hrs. We were so excited to be sitting up front, I forgot how crucial sleep would be in our quest to conquer London in a mere 22 hrs. After a five course meal, a glass of champagne, several glasses of wine, and an ice cream sundae (lay off me, I'm starving!) we watched movie after movie, tv show after tv show until Hannah finally dozed off. A little bit later I was finally able to get to sleep for a bit only to wake up to some crazy lady sitting next to me reaching for my water. Her husband was a pilot and she was meeting him in London. We made the mistake of making small talk with her, only to be barraged by her commentary on how we should get around the city.
We landed around 630 am , and by the time we made it through customs and caught a train to the city it was 845. Our tour hadn't even begun and we could barely keep our eyes open. Let's get some breakfast. Ill spare you the details, but this picture best sums up how I felt.
Really? You can't make bacon and eggs without screwing it up?!?
We started off by walking by Big Ben and Parliament and from there headed to the River Thames. We must have walked 5 miles all day long, but took a ride on the London Eye where we had a great view of the entire city. From there we walked along the river and had a delicious lunch at Wagamama. Good call, Micah! After lunch, we continued our hike and found a nice green spot behind the Tate Modern Museum to get a quick 1 hr nap.
Feeling recharged we headed to the London Bridge, the Tower of London, and the Globe Theatre. We figured we had seen enough and were ready to meet up with our friend Ilan from UT and Atlanta. His friends, Brock & Sherry (recently married to each other) and Orville (works with Sherry who is married to Brock who works with Ilan who went to UT and used to live in the ATL, ya follow?) were grilling out. Ilan made some damn good gazpacho, followed by some grilled salmon, prawns, and squid that Brock grilled up. After a feast like that along with a few beers, it was going to be a challenge getting Mrs. Hart out to a pub that night.
After relaxing at Ilan's for a quick bit, we headed out to the Queen's Head Pub. The night started off pretty slow, but as the beers and vodka tonics continued to flow and the DJ started playing some good tunes it picked up. Even though there is no photo evidence, I danced. Trust me, it was pretty awesome. After a late night drinking we headed around the corner to get some lamb kabob gyros and french fries. Mmm mmm! I love me some late night grub. After a quick shower and what felt like a 30 minute nap we were back on our way to Gatwick. Thankfully we got seats in first class and toasted each other with mimosas right before takeoff! After failed attempts to watch the Namesake I was sleeping like a baby.
It will be hard to top our first international trip together, but who knows, maybe next time we'll get to stay for a while!
