We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. For more information please read our affiliate disclosure My life forever changed back in April of 2010. After having to be pushed to take this trip, the time finally arose for our European adventure! This was not my first time out of the country, it was the first time I had to fly over the ocean landing in London. I’ll admit I was very nervous about this flight, but of course there was excitement there as well. I kept myself occupied with a good book and the in-flight movies since there was little sleep to be had. Finally we arrived at London’s Heathrow airport, and after quickly getting through customs (and receiving my very first passport stamp!!) we gathered our bags and made our way to our hotel. After disembarking from the Tube (mind the gap!), we wondered around the neighborhood to find our hotel for the next few nights, the Peckham Lodge. After checking in, we decided to push through our weariness and do some site seeing. Although we were outside of London’s downtown area, we were lucky enough to have a bus stop right outside our hotel. This made seeing the sites a breeze! We were immediately rewarded with a view of Big Ben and the British Parliament building as we hopped off of the bus. This is when it first hit me…I’ve made it to another continent! After taking far too many pictures of the same thing from different angles (thank you for your patience Cassandra), we decided to explore a bit more. We walked across the London Bridge to the far side of the Parliament to get a first-hand look at Westminster Abbey. After a few pictures, we opted to bypass the large crowds and go in search of British Royalty. We attempted to follow street signs (and our map) in order to find Buckingham Palace. After a few wrong turns, we entered a garden area where the signs of spring’s arrival were abundant. This beautiful park was a nice change from the busy streets of London. We followed the winding path, still unsure if we were headed the correct way. Almost ready to back track again, we rounded a bend and noticed our goal off in the distance! With a renewed pep in our step, we quickly covered the remains distance to get a closer look at the palace. Upon our arrival, we were treated with a view of the palace across a grove of red and yellow flowers. (tulips I believe) Due to the time of day, there was heavy traffic in front and a large number of tourists waiting for the changing of the guard. We explored briefly, but alas the long hours of traveling with little sleep were catching up. We decided to catch an early dinner of Fish & Chips and some local pints and call it a day. Our second day in London we saved for a pub crawl. Although I have no problem with early morning drinking, we decided to explore a bit more before starting our festivities. We were treated to a gorgeous, mostly-sunny day and we wanted to take advantage of it! Our first stop was Trafalgar Square. A popular tourist destination, we took the opportunity to pose along side the massive lion statues in the square. After a few pictures, it was time to explore the city a bit more. Since London was our first stop on a three week tour, we figured we would be practical. Walking around the city taking pictures, didn’t cost us anything. We enjoyed a sunny day (which I’ll assume is a rare occurrence in England) and stopped by a few other tourist attractions including the Horse Guard, the Tower Bridge, posed for pictures in the iconic red phone booths, and finally made our way to the London Eye. What we didn’t prepare for were the incredibly long lines. Since we did not want to spend hours waiting to ride we opted to skip this. After all, you have to save something for the next visit right? Our exploring worked up quite a thirst so we decided it was time for the pub crawl to begin! So the plan was to have one pint at each pub just to check them out and move on. It’s good to have a plan, but things do not always go as planned. We started well, our first stop we did stick to the plan. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the first pub we went to, but the beer was tasty. We enjoyed relaxing after all the walking we did on that day, but after finishing our pints, it was time to move on. We walked a short distance to our next stop, the “Cockpit.” This place would be your standard English pub. It wasn’t a very big space, but it had a small bar and some cocktail tables lined up along the wall. We walked in and ordered our pints and found a seat at a table. Besides us, there was just a small group of older gentleman patronizing the pub. Cassandra and I discussed our trip so far and started to plan out some things for the cities we would be visiting in the next few weeks. We could also overhear the humorous stories the men were sharing. Having a good time, we decided to stick around for a second pint. Having overheard our conversation as well, the gentleman approached inquiring about our travels. Turns out it was the pub owner and the pub owner of a neighboring establishment and one of their friends. We shared what we have done so far and where we were planning on going throughout our trip. They discussed places they’ve visited in the US and we shared stories of our experiences in these cities. (mainly NYC and Vegas) We spent hours talking over many pints and shots, tequila when we bought and Sambuca when they did. We had a great time and so began my love of meeting the locals and sharing stories. No amount of planning and research can give you a better view of a city than a conversation with a local. Tourist traps typically have higher prices and a less authentic atmosphere. A local can help you find the hidden gems in a city. Alas, we had to say goodbye to our new friends, it was time to grab a quick dinner and head to bed. We were saying goodbye to London the next day and continuing our European Vacation! Want to read more about my adventures? Visit my website: http://www.trekandteach.com Thanks for visiting and keep exploring!
