London

What can you say about London? One of the most beautiful iconic European cities. It is steeped in history, culture, royalty, and modern amenities all at the same time. I have dreamed of being in London my entire life. And it lived up to all my dreams. 

The first thing we did when we arrived (a quick two-hour car drive on a Saturday with absolutely no traffic), was go to the Tower of London. I have been obsessed with Tudor history my entire life and getting to stand in the place where Anne Boleyn spent her coronation night and then fatefully later, put her head to rest on the chopping block was humbling and enthralling. Some suggestions for the Tower: buy your tickets ahead of time. I was going to do this but the website I was on said they didn't accept mobile tickets. This is a lie. They do and you will save yourself some money and a lot of time in the queue if you just buy ahead of time. You can thank me later. Another suggestion is to definitely do the tour that is offered if you get there at the right time. Our tour group was huge but the guide was funny and entertaining and refreshed my memory on tower history (also check out the documentary on Netflix for even more history facts). 

After we had spent a good chunk of time at the tower, it was time to explore the rest of the city and make our way toward the real reason Brandon wanted to come to London: CocoIchibanya. This Japanese curry restaurant is huge in Japan and we fell in love with it while living in Okinawa. We walked an hour through the city (we still aren't knowledgable about the tube system and we need to figure it out) just to get to the restaurant. It was a fast tiring walk but it was so interesting to walk along the River Thames and see the pieces of London that I've never seen in tourist spots. When we got to the restaurant, there was a line and a forty-five-minute wait out the door. The only restaurant around that had one but we were going to have our curry. The only people in line seemed to be Asian people and American military. It was worth every minute of waiting (although some benches outside would have been great). The curry wasn't quite as good as the stuff in Okinawa but it scratched the itch.

After we ate, we wandered around the West End and China Town as we walked toward Buckingham Palace. Our feet were screaming by this point but I wanted to at least see the palace before we trekked back to the car and drove home. We enjoyed getting to be tourists: taking selfies and talking about the Queen before we finally walked back through the city at dusk. We came across Westminster Abbey and Big Ben but were disappointed to see that they were under construction and not very photogenic at the moment. I have plans to go back and tour Westminster at some point.

By the time we made it back to the Tower, it was dark and mostly deserted. We stood by the river's edge for a moment, taking in the cool air and the city lights and I was already aching to come back to this beautiful city. How lucky I am to live so close. 

Cambridge

I've been putting off sharing some of the lovely cities that we've been to in England so far and I'm not sure why. One of the first places Brandon took me when I arrived was Cambridge. The university town that is known for producing famous scientists and beautiful architecture. 

Speaking of architecture, I'm going to express an unpopular opinion. 

Cambridge is prettier than London. Gasp! I said it. 

Cambridge, with it's centuries-old buildings, punting on the river (boats with someone standing and paddling with a long pole that reaches the river bed), and cobblestone streets, is just one of the most captivating old places I've ever seen. This isn't the modern city of London and it is lovely. Cambridge is the place I would take any guests looking to see something quintessentially European. 

I know I haven't seen enough of Cambridge and with it being so close, I know many more day trips will come. One day I will figure out how to take decent photos with my iPhone (that maybe don't have cars and taxis blocking the shot). 

Jane Austen House Museum

Earlier this month I was browsing the internet looking for things in the UK to do within driving distance for a day trip. I love being able to drive a few hours away and explore a new city or area. During my research, I found the Jane Austen House Museum. A museum set in the house that Jane spent much of her life and did most of her writing before passing in her forties. I knew right away that I wanted to visit. I'm not going to say that I'm an avid fan of her writing as I've only read Pride and Prejudice and Emma but I love both of those pieces and she was such an amazing historical woman that I had to visit the museum. Of course, I also love old houses so that was the icing on the cake.

The only problem was that I knew that Brandon would have no interest in driving that far for a museum of a literary figure that he doesn't care about. So I asked a new friend and their little daughter to join me. I'm not used to traveling with children but their little girl is one of the best-behaved kids and so sweet. I've really taken to her any time we're around them. It was also a good opportunity for me to get to know this new friend better as we were stuck in the car for so long. Thankfully, we talked the entire time and learned a lot about one another. I also learned that I am highly distracted while having a conversation and have a harder time following the GPS. A few wrong turns might have ensued. 

The museum is nestled into the tiny village of Chawton, Alton. This town was so quaint. The trees were beginning to turn yellow and orange as Autumn approached and the old buildings were full of old-English charm. I wish I had taken more pictures of the village but we were traveling with a toddler and it began to rain later in the day. 

When we arrived, we were starving and made our way to this enchanting tea shop called Cassandra's Cup. You must stop in for some tea at least but if you're hungry, their cranberry bacon brie panini is to die for. I also had a chai tea latte that was very good. 

After lunch, we walked across the street to the museum. It is nine pounds to get into the museum but the ticket is good for a year so you can always come back if you wish. I don't think it would be worth coming back for unless you were with someone new or you didn't live far away but it is an option if you keep your ticket. The gardens outside were so pretty. Thankfully it was sunny when we arrived so we got to see them in all their glory before the rain set in.

The actual inside of the house is not very large at all. So it should be a rather quick trip as you walk through the creaking home and read about Jane Austen and her family. Make sure to watch the video that plays in a building off of the back garden before touring the house as it will give you a bit of history about where all she had lived, her family life, her life in the house, and her death. This museum is the only Jane Austen sight that is open to visitors so it is a special place. 

Jane Austen's writing desk

A lock of Jane Austen's hair

When we were finished walking around the house and grounds, set off down the road towards St. Nicholas Church where Austen's mother and sister are buried. The church itself is stunning like most churches in England.

There is another large home that you can tour while you're in the area and Jane Austen's resting place isn't far away at the Winchester Cathedral (it was closed the day we went) so there are plenty of things to do in the area to make a day of it. Unfortunately, we left later, had a child with us, and ran into accident traffic around London that made our trip an extra hour long. We spent a lot of time in the car on this trip but it was fun to get away during the week and see a piece of history.