the elephant and the pirate: London

i'm so thankful for anytime i get to spend with my bestie of 15 years (gulp), jen. but i was thrilled for the opportunity to share my new home, across the pond, with her. not only was it was jen's first time in europe, it was our first time travelling abroad together. she left her husband and 3 kids behind to come and hang out with me in england! playing tour guide for visitors gives me the chance to relive experiencing the beauty and history of england for the first time.

london calling

we spent two days kickin it in london, just me and my bestie. i impressed jen with my navigational abilities and dazzled her with my tour guide skills. a lot of fun was had.

hello there big ben (psst, don't foget to click on the link for more info), you're so, well, BIG.

westminster abbey.

when jen was visiting we had just learned that i was around 4 weeks pregnant. i loved sharing the early stages of pregnancy with my bestie, in spite of struggling with fatigue and morning sickness. we were both moved by the sanctity and beuaty of the abbey.

my experimentation with red lips continues....

the london eye.

our london pad. ok, not really. apparently its where the queen stays when she's in town, i think its called buckhingham palace.

i love this windswept look of jen's standing underneath the victoria memorial located outside of the gates of buckingham palace.

great reminder.

'cheeeese' from piccadilly circus.

the british history museum. we didn't visit during this trip, its definitely worth a day of exploring.

hehehehehehe. another reason i love this city!

rushton hall

located in northamptonshire, its become a regular stop for high tea on our visitors' itinerary.

cambridge

another popular destination stop. next time i'm hoping to convince our visitors to explore oxford for a change.

ok, i suck, i can't remember which of the university of cambridge's 31 colleges this is.

or this one.

exploring the vintage finds of the outdoor market.

a punting we will go, a punting we will go, hi ho the merry oh, a hunting we will go.

the day we visited, the university was closed to the public in preparation for the annual end of the year balls that each college hosts. i'm a sucker for papered lanterns.

windsor castle

per jen's request we took a day trip to windosr. barry took a break from his studies and joined us!

father's day on the farm

we spent father's day on the farm with my father-in-law. it was a special day for my husband who shared the news with his dad that he was going to be a grandfather.

in addition to pigs, they keep sheep, chickens, and cattle. i'm obsessed with their curly tails, and floppy ears. obsessed. oink.

last spring, for one month, i commuted to London daily for a course i was taking. having never been before, it was love at first sight as soon as i stepped off the train into st. pancras international train station. although i didn't get to see much of london while i was attending the course, i was smitten.

i've had the opportunity to visit london since, including for the london marathon - it was CRAZY CROWDED - and most recently over the holidays during my niece's visit. although we live only about an hour North, whether by car or by train, getting into the city isn't cheap. but so worth it.

we took the train into london - during off peak hours to save some money - and started our day in westminster at the iconical big ben (click on links for more info) clock tower. we ended our day in covent garden at another iconic spot - punch and judy's pub.

//until next time london!//

call me crazy - ya wouldn't be the 1st - but i love the london underground. it susrprisingly clean and easy to navigate, except when their are line closures, like there were on the day we visited with my niece and her beau (above)!

i love the industrial look of this station.

big ben in ALL of his glory.

the clock tower is part of the palace of westminster, where the house of parliament is located.

two 'bobbies' or policemen guarding one of the entrances.

sadly we didn't have time to go inside and tour the abbey, but barry and i are planning to do it during one of our next trips

this is one of my favorite pics from that day - filled with iconic images of london

statue of king richard outside of palace of westminster

picture of the london eye.

The Shard - reportedly it will be Europe's tallest building once completed.

lunch!

i have to confess that i have no idea what building is pictured, but apprently thought it important looking enough to photograph.

posing in front of the tower of london. line was too long. and we don't like to wait. next time - yeah that's it, next time.

another view of tower of london from the thames.

tower bridge

i know i keep going on about the tube, but seriously, how cool is it that the underground stations feature live music? i mean.

two of my favorite people on this earth in covent garden during the holidays. it doesn't get any betta.

covent garden decked out in it's holiday finest

more live (free) music!

no, we didn't go (i don't do musicals, i'm weird like that) but i do love a good marquee like!

zomg! we were scouring the streets and stumbled upon carluccio's (a well known italian cook here in the uk) and even though we waited an hour to be seated, it was worth every last bite.