Hollie (part tour guide, part photographer, part sister, part sister-in-law) met us at the station. We were all in for a long and exciting day and got straight to work. We bought our tube passes (well, Hollie did - thanks again) and headed over to Buckingham Palace. Our tight schedule meant that we didn't have time to chat with the Queen, and so we made haste to our next destination, Trafalgar Square.
One of our favorite things about London was getting from place to place. Of course, we could have fun chatting with Hollie, but the actual process of traveling around London was really fun. There is so much to see walking from place to place. The tube is the most amazing underground system that we have ever been on: it seems that you never have to wait more than a minute, the stations have lots of character, you are never really far from one, and it was used as a bomb shelter in WWII. What more could you want?! And if you ask Alastair what his favorite thing about London is, he won't say a building or particular sight, it is just being there that he enjoys. So part of the adventure was simply walking around or taking the tube.
After taking some pictures at Trafalgar Square, we headed down to the Houses of Parliament. We spent some time taking the mandatory pictures in a phone box, and then took a quick look at Westminster Abbey. Beautiful building after beautiful building, all older than the nation that we would be returning to in a couple of days. We crossed the Thames, caved and bought Union Jack hats to keep the cold at bay, and spent some time snapping more photos!
Following some more walking and riding the tube, we arrived at Tower Bridge, another iconic landmark! It was there that we were able to check off another one of our bucket list items: Eat fish and chips in London. This was something we would recheck off a few hours later, albeit with curry sauce thrown in!
Next up we went to Knightsbridge for Macaroons in Harrods, which Laleinia really enjoyed. Then to Piccadilly Square and Alastair's favorite shop in the entire world, Lillywhites. We looked at Liverpool shirts, Liverpool baby clothes, outdoors stuff, and everything else in between, and then headed outside to try and take our photography to the next level. Alastair had learned some things online and was eager to try them out. Based on the evidence, this was classed as a success!
Our last stop was back to the Houses of Parliament, by way of Leicester Square, to try and get some more cool photos at night. We headed back to Hollie's place, which we really liked by the way, grabbed chips and snacks on the way, and took our tired and happy selves to bed. What a day.
As we rode the tube and then the Eurostar back to Paris, we chatted about the possibly of living in or around London in the future. We both agreed that we just have to do it some day. Laleinia was really impressed with London, she just loved how real it seemed to be and liked the feel of it, even if it was a bit chilly. Luckily for us, not only is Alastair English, but the most popular destination for IESE graduates is, you guessed it, London. Watch this space! We should also say a big thank you to Hollie for everything, from meeting us, taking our pictures, doing everything on our list, and letting us have her room for the night. Thanks Hollie, we love you! And as for London, we will definitely be back, and if all goes well, we will return as residents one day!