11. Tower of London 06/01/09

London has many Historic Royal Palaces and The Tower of London is one of them. This tower is the home of the renown Crown Jewels. Yes, the real crown jewels! That is why there are guards. Not only are the guards there to guard the jewels, but the Tower is still an official royal residence, therefore it remains the army's obligation to guard it.

                              http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

Photo taken in front of the jewel house

After we explored the grounds of the tower we walked across the tower bridge to the only thatched building in the whole of London - Shakespeare's Globe. This theatre was reconstructed in about the exact same area where the original open-air playhouse was. The original globe had burned down - for more information and interesting facts, follow the link about the reconstruction of today's globe.

"To be, or not to be"

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us/history-of-the-globe/rebuilding-the-globe

  

I just had to post this picture - I think it captures the romance of London



After a long day, there was a bit of time to go to House of Frasers, now one of my favourite department stores.

Back at High Barnett Station, the temperature in the car was -8 degrees.

Time to head home and enjoy central heating.

10. A Snowy Day 05/01/09

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Early morning, we were up staring out the window at the snow falling. It was a very thin layer of snow - but it was snowing.

We got dressed in our winter woolies and headed out to town. A lot of siteseeing to do and landmarks to visit.

The first landmark, was not just an old historic building but an active church still used today: St. Paul's Cathedral.

Due to the sacred-ness and being a church, photos were not allowed - but I can tell you that it is the most magnificent feeling standing inside the cathedral - feeling the history in your bones, feeling the presence of a higher spirit.

The second, was the famous Tower Bridge. (Right)












Walking over the bridge to the otherside of the river Thames, we went to the HMS Belfast - an old cruiser of 1939. http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00e - follow the link for a full history.
Personally, I am not a big fan of war museums, but if you are a person that likes war history, the Hms is a perfect outing for you.

To end the day off, we went to do a bit of shopping..... at Harrods, one of the most famous luxury department stores known. Everything under one roof.
 And of course there was an after Christmas SALE going on.

9. MT and London Dungeons 04/01/09

We had a meeting with the Queen herself! Or does this imitation look a bit      wax(ck)y?? A visit to the world famous wax museum: Madame Tussaud's. I would recommend buying your ticket for this museum online - you save a few pounds AND you do not have to stand in the ticket line, which by the way was a few meters long going outside into the street.

It was one of the busiest tourist attractions we have been to. Don't be fooled thinking, that in winter, tourists stay home.... weather does not play a role in travelling - we adapt to it and still go out fires, or should I rather say winds, blazing! George and I took a photo with every wax model in that museum.

...from ogres to cricket legends - just about all the rich and famous people are there to take photos with YOU.

Put a few hours aside for the visit to Madame Tussaud's, if you are one of those people, we are, who would want to take a photo with everything, and taking into consideration the other tourists, leave about 3 hours for this expedition among the 'stars'. At the end of the museum you go through the souvenier shop before exiting - don't go crazy, it is a bit pricey, but when will you ever go there again, right? We had done a crystal with our faces imprinted inside (by lasre tech). Looks amazing and a great souvenier or even gift for loved ones. At MT you can even make a 'wax-hand' using your own hand as the mould - how cool?

If you are not faint-hearted then you must go to the dungeons. It is thrilling and the theatrics are believable. The dungeons are packed with the gory history of centuries ago of old Londontown. You can interact with the actors and in the end of your group tour you stand trial to be "hanged" for all your atrocious crimes...

tip: buy a combo ticket for both these attractions and SAVE

8. Warwick Castle 03/01/09

Every girl pretends to be a princess growing up and visiting Warwick castle made me reminisce about my young days playing dress-up. The atmosphere of the castle brings fourth the history. Walking on the grounds of the castle takes me back to a time I can only imagine and read about in history books.

Sometimes I wish I can look through a looking glass and experience those "times" for myself.

There is nothing like an outing with friends, and that is exactly what that day was. We had fun exploring the rooms, even the dungeons, of an ancient castle and letting our imaginations go to reconstruct our own fairytales.

The views from the towers were spectacular! If you plan to visit a castle, make a day out of the trip and just take everything in. The castle was a bit of a drive, but driving through the country to reach the end destination was all worth it in the end of our day. Breathtaking.