London, UK

(see on map) - trin: We only had a few days in London which was perfect. We packed a lot in, revisited old hangouts and saw some new sights. We just love London!

Our hotel was just north of Hyde Park. So, we walked in the park everyday. This is the new Princess Diana Memorial Fountain which is very nice.

In front of Tower Bridge on the Thames.

Believe or not I had never been to the Tower of London. This was a bit off considering I studied abroad here and love novels that take place during the Tudors' reign. So, we spent an afternoon touring the Tower.

We ate a Wagamama everyday and ordered the same noodle dish each time. Yummy.

We also visited the London Eye. Another thing we had skipped as students.

Looking across to another car while at the top.

Big Ben and the Parliament Building from the London Eye.

The final tube stop of the day was Glouster Road where we visited Mike's student housing building, Metro Gate. We had planned to visit his favorite pub, Rat and Parrot, but it was no longer there.

The following day we passed by Big Ben up close on our way to Westminster Abbey.

No trip to London would be complete without a little shopping. We hit up Topshop, H&M and Selfridges. After all that, I only bought one thing. The downside of a year abroad, you can only shop for what you can carry on your back.

We also visited my old neighborhood. My building was under construction and surrounded by scaffolding. So, I took Mike to the internet cafe, now coffee shop, where I spent many hours composing loving emails to him in our early days.

Another thing that has changed in London is that you can easily find a seat in the pub. Due to no smoking legislation many patrons now drink their pints out front.

After a Saturday night out, we spent our Sunday afternoon watching the Red Bull Flugtag competition in Hyde Park. It was the perfect way to wrap up the trip.