london calling

Why hello london! What's that you say? You want me to come visit? Well if you insist, darling!

During my time in Ireland, one of my #1 "must dos" was visit London (ironic, I know). I've always wanted to go to London, and since it was only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Dublin, it was perfect! So I set off for three days to jolly good England to see what the Queen, the fashion, and the hype surrounding the Royal Wedding was all about.

I would describe London as the "NYC" of Europe. It's such a big metropolis that has become the hub for so many markets and industries, and there is so much to do and see here that it's impossible to do it all in three days. I could spend a whole summer in London and never completely know London (hey, sounds good to me).

But here is where London's got NYC stumped. Its steeped in a rich history of monarchies, parliaments, and royal families in a country that was historically one of the most powerful in the world, and its influence can still be seen today.

I walked down BOTH Albemarle Street and Lambeth Road. Um, hello Charlottesville, VA? UVA? Guess we know where our names for places come from!

As a student, I loved being in a country that I have learned so much about. I've read the writings of John Locke and how they influenced American's framework for government, I've analyzed Shakespeare's plays, and studied influential leaders such as Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill.

Now let's talk fashion: Boots, Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols. I'd only read about these British stores before (ahem, in Confessions of a Shopaholic I admit). In Ireland I've learned that any Irish girl that wants to pursue fashion moves to London - it's clearly the hub for design.

I was also surprised at how easy London was to get around. Just keep riding what they call the Underground or Tube, it's just like the Metro in DC, and you can get anywhere. Beforehand I was worried I'd spend half of my time in London just figuring out how to get places, but I was happy to find this task to be a breeze.

My two favorite things we did in London were the Thames River cruise at night and the tour of Buckingham Palace. We had passes to take a cruise around the Thames River, which cuts through the city just like the Liffey River cuts through Dublin (except much, much bigger). Along the Thames you'll see all the major sites - Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and London Tower. The city was beautiful lit up at night!

We luckily arrived in London the day before Buckingham Palace would open for public tours, which it only does 10 weeks out of the year. Let me say that this tour is worth every penny! You get to walk through all of the state rooms and learn about the different monarchs that lived there (my favorite is Queen Victoria who inspired the Victorian style and was a strong, moral woman who championed reforms in social welfare, plus she has my birthday fyi) as well as the Royal Wedding. Now I wasn't a fanatic about the Royal Wedding before, but I must admit it was really cool to see where they got married, took their wedding pictures, and see her wedding dress, earrings, and shoes! England has William and Kate FEVER.

On top of the river cruise and Buckingham Palace, we walked along Westminster Bridge, St. James Park, Trafalgar Square, had high tea and went shopping!

London is definitely a city I would re-visit, because I know I could always find something new to do. I left so many stones unturned in this great city, and I would love to experience it more!

Cheerio chap!

Blog post title - London Calling by the Clash