Leaping Around London - Day #2

Our first full day in London was a Sunday and we were ready to rock.  After getting much needed coffee (we were both running on only a few hours of sleep with the crazy street noise and Erin was contending with jet lag) we hit the streets.  While most of our destinations were between a fifteen and thirty minute walk from our flat, we rarely took cabs, and probably logged a good six to nine miles per day.  This was exhausting, but it’s a great way to really get to know the city and explore.  Plus, it helped us walk off the martinis and oh so delicious meals we had at night.  ;)  Along our route to our first destination, we stopped for a few obligatory tourist shots.  Red phone booth and what not.  We came across an entire giant sized living room set made of turf.  Of course we had to climb up and grab some photos!  We also saw The Savoy, a world famous hotel in London.  You may know it as the setting of the press conference in Notting Hill where Anna Scott and Will Thacker reunite!  Sigh...  ;)

After our silly photo shoots, our first stop was the Tate Modern Museum.  The Tate is the most visited modern art gallery in the world.  It’s hard for me to give an opinion on this museum, because art is such a completely subjective and personal thing.  What appeals to one person, may not appeal to another.  For me, the Tate was not that interesting, but that is simply because I am not a huge fan of modern art.  There were a few pieces that I found captivating, but I definitely did not need to spend hours upon hours in this gallery.  Luckily, Erin and I are on the same page when it comes to museums.  Neither of us need to stare at a piece for ions, so we did about an hour and forty-five minute tour through the gallery and were completely satisfied.  If you are a fan of modern art, then I would definitely say the Tate is worth a visit.  Even if you are not a fan, or if you are unsure, I still think it’s worth a quick spin. I’m glad I went, but I don’t feel the need to go back.  

After a long walk to the museum, a few photo ops along the way, and our tour through the Tate, we regrouped with a snack and a second coffee.  We needed a bit of energy for the rest of the day.  Now, I promise I am not going to tell you about every single meal we ate, but this meal was so surprisingly delicious that I want to tell you about it!  We shared a sweet potato, spinach and poached egg hash and it was SO delicious!  It was a combination that I would have never thought to put together, but it was SO good!  I will definitely try to recreate this at some point!  

Next we took a nice long walk to see Shakespeare’s Globe theater.  We only saw the outside and I think next time I’d really like to take the tour to see the inside and learn more of the history.  Here’s what I do know.  Shakespeare’s Globe is actually a reconstruction of The Globe theater, an Elizabethan playhouse built in 1599 by Shakespeare’s company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.  The original theater was destroyed by a fire in 1613.  A second Globe Theater was built on the same site by June of 1614 and then closed in 1642.  The modern reconstruction of the Globe that we saw, “Shakespeare’s Globe,” opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet from the site of the original theater.  There are many other interesting facts about the reconstructed theater and how it was built to meet the criteria of the original 16th century  theater.  They still stage plays at the Globe every summer.  I hope someday I can attend a play there!

After seeing the Globe, we walked almost a mile along the River Themes (oh so muddy looking), and crossed the Tower Bridge to the visit the Tower of London.  I loved this visit.  The Tower of London is a historic castle located on the North Bank of the River Themes in Central London.  This is where the crown jewels are held and it is also an extraordinarily historic part of London.  Again, when I go next time, I will sign up for a tour or at least rent an audio tour so that I can learn more historical facts.  I have found that I am most captivated when something can come alive through historical relevance and story telling.  I love to hear facts and stories told by guides who are experts on the site.  Otherwise, I sometimes feel like I’m just looking at a pile of stones that don’t mean much!  Ha!  If you are not the kind of person who likes tours or audio guides, then I recommend bringing along a Rick Steve’s book.  His books are filled with interesting facts and tidbits about the various sites of a city.  He provides so much excellent insight and excellent suggestions for how to avoid lines, what you can skip and what NOT to miss.  Anyway, the jewels were spectacular.  There were crowns, swords, scepters, rings, plates, broaches.  Erin and I were in awe of the size of the diamonds, rubies and emeralds.  Simply amazing and beautiful!

After our visit to the tower, it was time to head home and rest a bit.  We had been out for hours and we needed to chill for a minute before our very fancy dinner at Hakassan.  Again, Erin was a research guru and had read about this restaurant as being THE place to dine.  My next post will be about our experience at Hakassan, because something very scary and personal happened to me during dinner.  

More to come…. xo

Travel Tip #4 - DON'T  be embarrassed to take those silly pictures. Don't be shy to ask other people to take photos of you!  You will be SOOOOO happy you have them!  Just while writing this blog I was SO thrilled to have the pictures I have and I will cherish them always!  :)  Just do it!