London - Day 1

April 21, 2013

We landed in London at about 8:30am and was able to get through customs fairly quickly. I got to say I was there on holiday (vacation), which made me sound more like a local. We hopped on the London Express for 16 pounds and was in the city center within 15 minutes.

Our hotel is pretty nice! There is a big picture of the Queen above the check-in desk and I can't help but wonder why her eyes are shut in the photo. After an 8 hour flight, we wanted to clean up for our first real day abroad. The shower here has a half glass shower door (weird). It was hard to shower without the water going out of the shower area. We also couldn't figure out how to get the main shower head to turn on, so we had to use the hand shower head. As the tallest member of this traveling trio, it made it really difficult to shower! After we got cleaned up, we headed out on foot to explore the city.

We walked around the Food Hall and then hit Oxford Street to do some shopping. I bought a blazer and skirt at Uni Qlo, both of which were on sale! It's hard to restrain yourself because there the amount of shops is unreal. I didn't expect to see so many Gap, XXI, and H&M stores within 2 city blocks. They are everywhere.

After shopping, we took the Tube to Afternoon Tea at The Royal Horseguard. It was one of the most luxurious experiences I've ever had. We sat there for about 2 hours and ate mini sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and pastries. We also got to pick our own pot of tea (I chose the royal earl grey). The food was so simple and delicious. Maybe what made it so appealing was the fact that it was served on pink and gold china.

From there, we attended choral evensong services at Wetsminster Abbey. Yes, THE Westminster Abbey where William and Kate were married. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photographs inside the church. I tried to soak up as much as I could to remember the moment. The ceilings were high and grand. It was a rather spiritual experience and I am honored that I was able to attend the service.

The Abbey is right by Big Ben and the London Eye. It was freezing and windy, so we took a few quick pics and headed back towards our hotel via the Tube. 

We made one last pit stop at the Food Hall for a beer free beer tasting. Ashlee attracted a gentleman (not!) who was quite fond of her. After swooping her away from the old, creepy drunk man, we got to the free beer (amen). As my friend Sarah recommended,we chatted it up with some of the locals.

All in all, it was a fantastic first day!

Europe - Travel Day

April 20, 2013

It's here. The moment I've been thinking about for 27 years is here. I'm about to earn my international wings! After the longest work day of my entire life (not really), we hopped into a cab and headed to O'Hare. 

Carrie has United silver status which proved to have many perks. We got to cut the line at the airport to check in and for security. To make it even better, we got access to the United Club! We weren't sure if Ashlee would get in because her ticket wasn't bought with Carrie's premiere status, but they let us all in. What a VIP moment (baller!). The room was huge and offered great people watching. There were people of all ages and walks of life. Food? Oh yes. There was free trail mix, cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, cheese/crackers, tea, coffee and beer/wine. All free! I really wanted a glass of red wine, but I was afraid it would make me sick since I was already a little nervous about flying over a huge ocean. I skipped the wine and grabbed a few packs of Milano cookies and 2 bags of tea for the flight.

UNITED CLUB

I've been on my fair share of flights, but never international. I took my first step on the plane and was pleasantly surprised to find they play classical music while you board. How delightful. Carrie and I sat in a 2 seat section and Ashlee was just a few rows behind us. Carrie thinks the plane is a little old because the tv screens are small. It doesn't matter to me because I think it's pretty cool that the tv tracks your flight journey.  So far I've heard several accents: Australian and British.

I just discovered that my neck pillow is too small...child size. Crap. 

** TAKEOFF! ** 

Dinner on the flight was just okay. Bland pasta with the smallest meatballs I've ever seen. The salad was actually pretty tasty. I ate the whole salad, had a few bites of pasta and an entire roll with melted butter ( because the tray was so hot). Through dinner I watched Silver Linings Playbook. I just saw it a few weeks ago, but it was nice to watch it again.

After the movie, I put on my eye,ask and tried to get some shut eye. I managed to sleep for a few hours, but woke up freezing. The airplane is quite chilly. I tried to fall back asleep, but no matter what way I moved, I was still uncomfortable and cold. My bum started to hurt. Toss-turn. Toss-t Finally I said, screw it...I'm up. I asked the flight attendant for a cup of hot water so I could make a tea. I played a few games on the iPad and watched half an episode of It's Always Sunny.

By now, the sun is starting to come out and people are waking up. The map on my tv screen says we have 1 hour and 8 minutes left in our 'journey'. The flight attendants all say 'cheers'. It makes me feel very international.


** TIME TO PUT AWAY ELECTRONICS...WE'RE LANDING! **