Tea with the Queen

Hiya!

 

(That’s a typically British greeting, so I’ve learned).

So it’s been quite a while since I made a blog post but this one should be well worth the wait!

So this past week was Half Term, of which the North American translation would be that so highly desired and elusive Fall Reading Week that all Canadian university students to so intently crave. Apparently, it was also half term everywhere else on this continent so we spent the week waiting in queues with the rest of France, as well as Britain and Spain. Throngs of children were to be unavoided. And where did we go, you ask? London, England!!!

Our British chocolate collection- so yummy!

My wonderful and loving father flew all the way from Toronto to spend the week with me. We stayed in Colchester (60 miles east of London, about the distance of Waterloo to Toronto) at the home of my dad’s friend, Gordon, and his wife Anne. Gordon and Anne are the sweetest people and it was so nice of them to let us stay with them.

If you asked me what I did this week it would be best summed up by saying we rode lots trains whilst eating copious amounts of British chocolate. It also happened to be that magical time of year between fall and Christmas themed lattés at Starbucks, of which I also overindulged (lattés, along with carpeted floors, TVs and real beds are things you don’t appreciate until they’re gone).

So here is our itinerary from the week!

Saturday...

...we went into the city to get a lay of the land and walked by the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye.

Sunday...

... we took a trip to the magical land that is Harrods! This is a department store like none other! After visiting Harrod’s, I finally discovered what I want to be when I grow up: rich. Hence, any possible Christmas and/or birthday gifts can be sent through a Harrod’s registry, s'il vous plaît.

View from the London Eye, with the
Houses of Parliament in the background

Monday...

...we went to the London Eye which is something I’ve always wanted to do since I was 9 and my father sent me a postcard from there. Unfortunately, being Half Term, we queued for over two hours but the view was worth it. It takes about 25 minutes to complete the circle and you get a panoramic view of the city and all its famous landmarks like the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul’s Cathedral. In the afternoon we crossed the Thames to check out the Churchill War Rooms where Winston Churchill conducted the war. This was really interesting for me as I just finished a course on Britain and the Second World War.

Tuesday

Buckingham Palace!

I have always wanted to see Madame Tussaud’s and we finally got to go on Tuesday. I expected it to be a bit overrated but it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip! Each room in the museum is themed from a red carpet of celebrities to a haunted house of executioners to the Spirit of London that takes you in an old-fashioned taxi ride through the history of London. In the afternoon we made our way by Tube (the underground, a fabulously efficient way to travel) to Buckingham Palace. After traversing Green Park we arrived at the official residence of our queen.

@ Madame Tussaud's
with Usain Bolt

Wednesday...

Dad at Westminster Abbey

...we visited the famous Westminster Abbey! What I didn’t know is that there are over 3,000 people buried at the Abbey (no that’s not a typo!). Among those who call the Abbey home, Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. While I’ve seen many churches since moving to Europe, this was by far the most impressive! The building was massive and the gothic architecture was overwhelmingly beautiful. It’s amazing to think that so much history, such as royal coronations, funerals and weddings have taken place here.

By this point in our trip we were a bit tired from trekking around the city so we decided to see a play. We saw Our Boys, which was about 6 military boys recovering from war injuries in a hospital. It was very comical, (the accents were indeed very charming) and it happened to star Matthew Lewis, who was Neville in Harry Potter! I was a tad star struck. 

Thursday...

Tower Bridge!

...I got to see the famous Tower Bridge and also the Tower of London! Here we queued for quite a while to see the Crown Jewels. I nearly went blind from the sparkling and shimmering of all the diamonds, gold, emeralds and various other gems on these ornate headpieces! As the sun set in the afternoon we visited Trafalgar Square and took a peek in the National Gallery and saw some very impressive paintings (given my lack of artistic ability, how art of that caliber is humanly possible continues to boggle my mind).

Friday...

Colchester Castle

...we took a quick tour around Colchester before heading into London. Colchester is the oldest recorded town in Britain, as evident by the ancient Roman wall that can be found in the main park. There is also Colchester Castle, which was built by the Romans about 1,000 years ago. We headed into the city in the afternoon and saw the Marble Arch as well as Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park, a famous point of free speech, which had been frequented by the likes of Karl Marx, Vladmir Lenin and George Orwell. Friday night we visited the British Museum, which was so impressive!  The exhibits feature every corner of the globe and we saw everything from Egyptian mummies to world currencies to trinkets from when the Romans ruled Britain. And best of all- it’s free! (London has a tendency for being très cher).

Saturday...

All aboard! An intrepid Eurostar traveler :)

...we traveled from London to Paris via the Eurostar train. This was something that always fascinated me. The actual traversing of the Channel Tunnel (or the “Chunnel”) was rather quick! The lunch (which, being typically French, included a petit bottle of wine) was a nice touch as we cruised through the countryside. Once in Paris, we took the metro into the city to see a few landmarks. I wasn’t letting my father leave the country before seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe!

Sunday

Dad at the Eiffel Tower

And here I am today! I took the TGV from Paris to Tours this morning. I’m having a relaxing day (enjoying the wonderful North American goodies my parents packed for me such as Kraft Dinner and Second Cup coffee) before I’m back to my routine tomorrow.  I’ve had such an exciting week with my dad crossing items off the bucket list and I’m so thankful that I got to see everything I did.

Until next time,

Z <3