After Adam and I left Paris, we could barely wait to get back to London where we would spend the rest of our European vacation with two dear friends, Colin and Becca Marsh. Colin and Becca have such adventurous spirits so when an opportunity presented itself for them to move to London, they backed their bags and headed across the pond. By the time we made our way to visit, they had become seasoned Brits! Adam and I loved the idea of living a day-in-the-life of the Marshes - so we did!
When we first arrived at Colin and Becca's home, we could barely believe how charming everything was - right down to the neighborhood pub next door! Colin and Becs actually lived in Notting Hill, which pretty much made me feel like I was living a movie. Over the next four days Colin and Becca were so gracious as they shared their home, their favorite spots around the city and took us to some of the more iconic London sites. We had so much fun and made so many incredible memories with our sweet friends!
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| Colin and Bec's neighborhood pub! |
Colin and Becca:
Best part of the trip by far! Great friends who we hope to continue building memories with over many years - love you guys!
Portobello Road and the Travel Bookshop:
One of our first mornings in London was spent exploring Portobello Road. Such a cool experience! People flooded the streets popping in-and-out of stores. Some stores had even extended their storefronts onto the sidewalk for easy browsing! Somewhere along our stroll we stopped for breakfast - Adam had been craving a traditional English breakfast so he was thrilled when this arrived from the kitchen...
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| Adam's English Breakfast! |
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| Portobello Road |
A Countryside Scull Boat Race:
Adam and I wanted to see some of the well-known sites around London but more than that, we just wanted to experience what Becca and Colin would do during a normal week. One morning they got a call that some friends were heading down to a scull boat race! The race was set to take place in a smaller town outside the city so we decided to jump on the underground and head to the event. When we got there, we experienced our first Pimms Cup - deliciousness! We cheered on the boats while meeting many of Colin and Becca's friends - so special! Such a fun and memorable day.
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| Scull Boat! |
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| Pimms Cup! |
Fish and Chips & Bubbles and Squeak:
Becca and Colin took us to some many great restaurants and pubs while in London but two of the most memorable were The Churchill Arms and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.
The Churchill Arms was possibly one of my favorite buildings in London! Covered in greenery and flowers, this pub was anything but ordinary. After grabbing a pint we were seated for dinner. We proceeded to have some of the best thai food ever - oh what I wouldn't give for some right now! Anyway, should you ever get to London, I would encourage a trip to The Churchill Arms.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is considered to be the oldest pub in London. Rebuilt in 1667 after the fire, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is soaked in character. Low ceilings and dim lighting make the whole pub feel, well...like a pub should! Winding hallways and scattered stairs lead pub-goers to various rooms for seating. It's a friendly place that you'd expect everyone to know each other. It's the perfect stop to grab a pint during a foggy London afternoon. It's so memorable and so idealistic! A must see for sure.
Oxford and the hunt for Hunters:
Hands down my favorite day! Many, many years ago Adam had visited Oxford with his family. He had such fond memories that we decided to make a day trip with Colin and Becs. This particular day was a little chilly and rainy but it set the perfect backdrop to the town.
Adam recalled visiting a pub during his last trip to Oxford called The Eagle and Child (or the Bird and Babe). This pub is where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien use to meet with their friends to discuss writings, including their own. So of course it was a must see! Again, like many old historic pubs, The Eagle and Child was warm and friendly. We grabbed a table at the front and hunkered down for lunch and a pint. I'd just like to quickly interject that it was at this pub in little 'ol Oxford that I had the best drink of my life. I happened to order a strawberry-lime cider by Rekorderlig. It's from Sweden and don't doubt for a second that I haven't looked all over Denver for it. Sadly, it's not distributed anywhere in the US. Sad, sad day.
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| A pint at the Eagle and Child |
A few other highlights in Oxford included Christ Church (absolutely beautiful) and a climb to the top of a bell tower. Adam and Colin have many things in common - one of those being they love to climb to the top of buildings, towers, Arcs, or anything else that feels like a challenge. So glad we did though - it offered a great view of Oxford and it's now such a fun memory!
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| Just so happens to be where some of Harry Potter was filmed! |
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| Bell tower that we climbed! |
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| View from the top of the bell tower! |
The News Revue:
Colin was able to secure tickets for the four of us to go to a comedy club called The News Revue - another must see if you're in London! Think Saturday Night Live mixed with local news stories. Lots of singing, dancing and live skits. I highly recommend going!
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| On our way to The News Revue! |
Knowing that Colin and Becs had been to all the "must see" sights in London many times before, Adam and I spared them from playing tour guide across the city! So, we took off for a day of tourist sight seeing, including:
-Tower Bridge: everything you imagine it to be!
-The Tower of London: still sad we didn't see the crown jewels - boo.
-Parliament: do guys still where wigs there?
-Big Ben: did you know Big Ben is only the clock, not the tower?
-London Eye: freaking. big. farris wheel.
-Westminster Abbey: could only think of Princess Kate and her gorgeous wedding dress!
-Buckingham Palace: royal, royal, royal!
-Hyde Park: absolutely beautiful.
London was a trip we will not soon forget! We made such amazing memories and we are so blessed to have sweet friends to share them with. Looking forward to the next time we'll visit England!
