London Calling... Answered!

The Tower of London
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Though the weather was cold & bitter at times, and we wondered if the sun ever shines on the country of England... this trip only whetted the appetite of a family that's grown to love seeing new old famous places.

Initially, we bristled at the thought from previous visitors that four days in London wasn't enough to fully experience the city, much less having a day trip to Paris somewhere in there.  Of course that's probably true, but the way we see it, this trip was a great precursor to future trips to London.  We didn't lose anything by the brevity of this visit; it's just a great way to get introduced to what became one of our favorite places in the world.

London Calling!

"Big Ben" and the Houses of Parliament
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First of all, I have to talk about the trip to London in itself.  We were on a British Airways flight from San Francisco International to London Heathrow Airport.  British Airways rocks!  It is clearly the best airline we've ever had the pleasure of flying, with Korean Airlines coming in a distant second.

Now to London itself...

Aside from the essential souvenirs, we didn't like shopping in London because of the prices.  The food, though a bit different than our typical fare, wasn't terribly special.  There's just a whole bunch of other things that make it a very special place for us.  I'll just say that London is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Big Ben with the London Eye in the background
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You encounter a bit of English history with seemingly every step you take, and there are many steps to take around here.  Every block seems to have a photo opportunity.

Just getting from the airport to downtown London via the Heathrow Express train is a great experience.  Riding the world's first subway, the famous "London Underground", is truly an experience especially for us subway first-timers.  Being from the US, we're used to renting a car if we're spending any significant tourist time, but the advice that we shouldn't even think of renting a vehicle in London was well-taken.  London has probably the best public transport system in the world, so I've heard somewhere.

You hear the ringing of Ben Ben, the world's most famous clock tower, every fifteen minutes.  The country of France, the city of Paris are mere hours away by train (which takes you "underwater" through the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean!).  You get to watch a timeless tradition in person with the Changing of the Guard, right in the neighborhood of the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace.  And the people of London are unbelievably friendly and helpful to us.  All in all London is a place we're grateful to have taken the effort and courage to visit on our own, and think ahead to what we'll be doing on our next trip to London.

If people in the states can go to Las Vegas as a routine getaway... we definitely feel London will be our "Las Vegas", our place to get away from the drag and routine of life.  There definitely will be more to come for us with London...