Tourist time

And then it was time to go. Saying goodbye was NOT easy, and lots of tears were shed, but I made it out the door with only a bazillion hugs and kisses and on to the airport. It was a little strange traveling by myself, since I haven't done that in years, but I had the luxury of only worrying about spilling drinks on myself and trying to get some sleep on my overnight flight.

I threw customs for a loop, with my 3 month stay to have a baby. They even held me in a little roped off area for a few minutes while they made sure with the higher ups that I was legitimate to be in country to have the baby (and had my own health insurance). Thanks to wifi, Daria and I were in touch and met up at her terminal to get our car to the flat. The Embassy has hooked me up with a little 2 bedroom apartment on Baker Street only a few blocks from the Baker Street underground station. The location is awesome for getting around the city, not to mention within walking distance of the Embassy, my doctor's appointments, and the hospital where I'll delivery (plus other essentials like grocery stores and pubs!) The kids will be most excited about the proximity to familiar places like KFC and McDonald's that are conveniently right across the street. When they arrive, our job will be to get them to branch out a little. View from our windows of bustling Baker St. below...

Day 1- Although functioning on very little sleep, Daria and I were determined not to sleep to adjust as quickly as we could to the new time zone. We took a walk in the neighborhood and visited the Wallace Collection, a private art collection that had an impressive amount of armor along with their art collection.

We stopped for tea and a snack in their atrium, and then headed out for a walk to explore the neighborhood a little. We meandered through the streets of Marlyebone, and ended up at the Marble Arch. We had to look up it's significance when we got back to the flat, and found out it used to be at the entrance to Buckingham Palace, and only members of the Royal Family and the King's Troops could pass under it. It was moved to accommodate a bigger Buckingham Palace and now just hangs out at the corder of Hyde Park. We attempted to walk around the park a little, but exhaustion was catching up with us so we headed back to the apt to call it an evening wandering a bit along the way so we didn't get to bed too early!

St. James church, nestled in Marlyebone

Daunt books - lovely little bookstore in the neighborhood

Day 2- 12 hours of sleep later, we were ready for our first big day of sight-seeing. We started with a walk to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. On our walk over, we had to take this photo...

Then we came across this restaurant....it was early in the morning, so the restaurant was closed, but our family will def have to refind this gem! Pierogis and tacos in the same place!?

We ended up in Green Park, right next to Buckingham Palace and followed the crowds (believe me there were crowds, just not in this picture!)...

We got there with plenty of time to spare, and managed to get a great spot right in front. This was one of those things I would never tackle with kiddos, but perfect for Daria and I! One of the most impressive things about it is the dedication to ritual and history...There are even a few bands that play a combination of traditional and modern music throughout the ceremony. We were treated to a Les Mis compilation while the guards signed some paperwork inside the gates! The ceremony itself takes about 45 minutes, and there were police on horseback who would explain what was going to happen next and where to look. One guard kept the tourists entertained by coordinating the wave before it started, and the people watching was interesting in and of itself...the selfie sticks were in full force and it made me wonder what us tourists did (yes, us included!) before everyone had a camera/phone to record what they saw...

outside the gates

one of the police on horseback

first glimpse of the eye

their hats looked so cozy and soft!

patiently waiting for the ceremony to start

On their way in....

  A musical interlude...

 And then on their way out...

After the ceremony, we were hungry and pooped so we headed to a pub for some lunch. We both tried a meat pie, and they were really yummy and hit the spot after standing outside in the chilly weather for a few hours).

I think I was starving at this point...

When we were full, we were ready for our next stop...Westminster Abbey! A short walk away, we found ourselves in the midst of the most iconic London buildings.
Outside the Abbey...

And in (once you could use your camera again). No photos were allowed in the main part of the Abbey, but we got a great audio tour (included with the price of the ticket...narrated by Jeremy Irons) which detailed all the amazing history of the Abbey. With all the famous people buried there - from Mary Queen of Scots to Sir Isaac Newton - along with the rich history that continues today, this stop was one of my favorites of the week!

After a few hours soaking up the history, we were ready to head home. Of course, being so close to Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, we took the long way back and stopped off to use the bathroom at the National Gallery (we saw a few paintings too).

cool sculpture in Trafalgar Square

a little Monet

Piccadilly Circus...