Lovely London...

Lovely...I think that is my new word.
As well as the fact that my girls are now calling me "Mum";)
We had a wonderful, much needed family trip to Europe.
London, Paris, Rome and Florence.
Whew!!! I now understand jet lag.

First stop...London,England.


We kind of threw this trip in as an afterthought...
And I am so happy we did!!!
Because...London was our favorite! No kidding!
Shocking coming from someone who was desperate to visit Paris, right?

From the moment we stepped foot on British Airways in Miami,


We loved the whole "British" feel...
Proper, clean, friendly, helpful, charming.
We landed at London Heathrow which is a gorgeous airport...
Skies in London were BLUE...yes, blue;)

10 Things We Loved About London...

1. The people were so NICE and FRIENDLY! People stopped to ask how they could help if they saw us looking at a map...and let me tell you, we spent a lot of time on this trip looking at a map...as well as saying "I think we're going the wrong way"! If we were trying to find someplace to eat, they would tell us some of their favorite places. Like this pretty English Pub.


I will say, the food takes getting used to...and we didn't quite do that. But there's always Starbucks!!


On the plus side, we LOVE their accent;) They were also quite STYLISH...and here we thought Paris would win that category.

2. It's so CLEAN for a big city! In fact, I kind of enjoyed going to NYC in the past but I think this spoiled me. The streets were clean, the people were LOVELY...not pushy, there were NOT people hawking purses and other stuff or shoving things in our face and there was a definite absence of the seedy side. Or at least it was hidden, which was really nice!

3. Buckingham Palace.


The whole ROYAL thing is kind of cool, at least it was to us. You know I LOVE crowns...and they are everywhere!


Following the tour, taking tea at the Palace is a real treat:) My husband, who only went to make us happy, ended up being VERY impressed. Told him so;)

4. The clear love for their country and it's history...and the knowledge of their city by everyone we spoke to...including the cabbies! A good lesson for my girls to bring home;) They're looking forward to the 2012 summer olympics. Hmmm...next trip to London? And some of the TV shows are hilarious. That dry British humor. There's one talk show in particular that I will probably watch from here. Very funny.

5. Speaking of the cabs...this is a very respected profession. The cabs are roomy, CLEAN and driven by Brits who have spent a number of years training. Hmmm...one more thing I don't like about NY...sorry...a few bad experiences is all it takes;)

6. St. Paul's Cathedral...the most beautiful church we visited and yes, we did go to the Vatican while in Rome (again, sorry;) It was just incredibly beautiful without trying to be, if that makes sense. This is the church Charles and Diana were married in. (Westminster Abbey, where her funeral was held, is also very beautiful.)


7. The LOVELY parks and squares spread throughout the city. Hyde Park, St. James Park, Grosvenor Square...very peaceful in a big city.


8. Shopping!!! I know, I know...we can shop at home. BUT...we don't have Harrods...7 floors...unbelievable. This is the front...



I don't even know how many restaurants it has...13 or something like that. Italian with singing chefs, an American Diner...a full-fledged grocery store. (and you thought Whole Foods was amazing...and expensive. Haha) Then there are the fun shopping districts like Oxford Circus. The shabby chicks had a BLAST shopping and hanging out there! Our new favorites...Top Shop, H&M and Accessorize.


9. The STUNNING buildings


and tourist sites...from Big Ben & Parliament


to the Royal residences to the Tower of London which holds the crown jewels


to the HUGE Eye of London ferris wheel.



10. Okay, I know I'm a simple person. But I think we got just as big a KICK out of the red phone booths,


red double decker buses and the guards at the Palace...


are all soldiers recently returned from Afghanistan.
Hmmm...some hat!



Yikes...this is so long. I know I must have lost everyone by now.
No worries! I know my Mom stuck with me. Hahaha
I'll end this for now and give you a break before I ramble about Paris.
Hope you have a Lovely day!
Cheers, then!!!