London

View the London gallery here!

We didn't think it would ever be weird to be sitting in a room full of people speaking English, but for the first time in two and a half months we can understand every conversation around us! It's thrilling.

We arrived at Kings Cross station on December 15th, and I didn't even realize to look for platform 9 and 3/4!! So sad. My Harry Potter fan girl inner self is unfulfilled. We somehow managed to figure out the tube and get to Hackney, the neighborhood my cousin, Faith, lives in outside of the city. Because she was working her boyfriend, Lucas, came to meet us and show us back to their flat. Her description of him to us was perfect, "tall, long hair, big beard, and probably wearing all black." That he was! We walked a couple blocks to their flat and got situated. Their spot is beautiful: newly renovated, clean and white, large glass sliding doors, and Lucas' massive record collection tucked away in the corner. We couldn't have been happier to be in the comforts of a lovely home. Faith left us a sweet note and recommended we walk 10 minutes through the nearby park to Broadway Market for a late lunch, so that's what we did! Broadway Market is a cool little street lined with funky shops, cool cafes, and classic English pubs. We found a charming spot to relax and have lunch, play cards, and pass the dreary rainy evening.

The next morning we walked the 3.5 miles into downtown London. Everything in the outskirt neighborhoods of London look like a movie set. The identical brick houses, the perfectly decorated shops, the mini cars- it's so awesome. Then all of a sudden you turn a corner and you're right in the hustle and bustle of the city. We made our way to Saint Paul's Cathedral (which was unfortunately closed off) then down across the Thames River on Millennial Bridge to a cute Christmas market outside of the Tate Modern art museum, past Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and to Borough Market.

Oh Borough Market, how I adore thee. An absolutely massive marketplace tucked below an overground train bridge. It was decked out in Christmas wreaths and lights, there was a great singer/guitar player setting the mood, and there's an endless trail to follow to various food vendors passing out yummy samples and wafting their amazing food scents into the air. The worst part about being there was having to choose what we wanted for lunch. Mike settled on Ethiopian and I got Pad Thai. Delicious choices. 

Fueled up, we walked down to Tower Bridge, not to be confused with the very average and boring London Bridge. We walked across the infamous Tower Bridge and to London Tower, home of the crown jewels. We unfortunately had to stick to only visiting the free museums because Pounds are a real bank breaker, so we didn't have the opportunity to go inside, which was a bummer. To get our culture fix, we walked back to Tate Modern and toured the free exhibits, which were really cool and a nice change of pace from all of the historic art we've seen these past couple of months. The highlight was seeing an Andy Warhol, which is so iconic. 

With aching feet, we made our way to meet my cousin Faith in Shoreditch, another cool town outside of the city center. It was so fun finally seeing her after years of communicating via email, months of helping me learn more about traveling around Europe,  weeks of planning our visit, and 10+ years of not seeing one another in person. Her advice  and guidance has been priceless and we are beyond grateful for her support throughout our adventure. We walked through Shoreditch and back into her neighborhood where a Christmas market was going on, but this was much different than the wood kiosks lined up in a row like every other Christmas market we've stumbled upon. This one was just a street that had shut down car access and all of the shops opened their doors, had little treats for visitors, and were warm and inviting. We strolled along with mulled wine in hand and popped in and out of the cool shops.

We then met up with Lucas, who we found in a very stylish clothing store that only sold black pieces, which was hilarious and very fitting. Our first stop on our night out was a swanky rooftop bar with a panoramic view of the city in the distance. We sat at a square bar with a wood burning fire in the middle, ordered fancy cocktails, and enjoyed excellent company and conversation. Next up was a drink at an English pub back on Broadway Market before hitting a Thai restaurant for dinner. There are a lot of fun things to do and beautiful places to see in London, but nothing compares to spending time with awesome people. Faith and Lucas have the best energy, are so smart, funny, and generous- our time with them was absolutely the highlight of our time in this city.

Our final day in London was a long day of walking and sightseeing. After stopping for breakfast sandwiches, we walked 6 miles to Big Ben! It's so cool seeing this monumental sight in real life after seeing it in a million movies, namely The Parent Trap, which I was certain I was going to find my British twin sister while we were in London. We passed the gorgeous Westminster Abbey, which I loved seeing after the obsession that surrounded the Royal Wedding a few years ago, but for £20 each we weren't about to go inside. We then made our way to Buckingham Palace, where the guards in their grey winter jackets and fuzzy black hats marched like weirdos which made us giggle.

From Buckingham Palace we went to the Portrait Gallery. It is so beautifully created and you really feel like you're stepping back in time when you read about each image. The walls are covered in rich wallpapers with beautiful wood details lining the doorways. Our final stop for the day was Chinatown for some cheap Asian cuisine and then a quick tour of Piccadilly Circle. 

Our feet were essentially bruised at this point from averaging 16 miles both days in London, so we spent the evening back at our favorite pub, The Dove, enjoying the atmosphere, a couple beers, reflecting on our Eurotrip, and resting our feet. 

--December 21, 2015--
London was an absolute whirlwind and our last stop before our final destination- Dublin! We were so lucky to be able to stay with Faith and Lucas- it was such a game changer having a comfortable flat and delightful people to come home to after two long days of walking  in a massive city. Now we're in Dublin, which is crazy because we used to say, "We just have to be in Dublin by December 22nd for our flight home." And here we are- tomorrow we fly home! Stay tuned for our final international Levart Travel post and a EuroTrip reflection!