Leaving Home

Saying goodbye to home and dogs, officially en route to Kansas City.
New Airport

First leg of our journey to London is complete. We've driven to Kansas City and we're now awaiting our first flight.
Finally on our way!

Seems like we waited in the airport forever, but we're finally on the plane and preparing to take off!
Quick Layover at O'Hare

Just enough time to grab a sandwich and find our gate before boarding our next plane. London here we come!
Landing in London

A few pics from the window as we approached the UK. Finally landed at Heathrow Airport. Safe to say, another new flight zone!
The London Underground

Made our way from the airport to our hotel via the Underground. Passed through Heathrow, Paddington, and Earl's Court stations as we traveled.
London Base Camp

Checked into our hotel for the next few days. When they warn you that rooms are small, they aren't kidding. We don't plan to spend much time in our room, so a cozy space is no big deal. But, for pointOkumaya devam et
Walking to Hyde Park

We elected to take the longer waking route to Hyde Park in order to take in more of the city. The downside of winter in London - it gets dark crazy early and it's wet. Still, we had fun exploring asOkumaya devam et
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Both London asked Amsterdam boast about their pop-up winter/Christmas markets and festivals. We plan to visit several on this trip. Hyde Park was first on our list!
Harrod's Department Store

All decked up for the holidays! Opulence at its finest....
Pomp and Circumstance

Watching the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Parliament Square - Under Construction

Regrettably, much of Parliament Square is hidden by scaffolding due to extensive reconstruction.
The River Thames

First views of the River Thames from Westminster Bridge.
On the South Bank

Southport Christmas Market, set on the southern bank of the Thames. Our second market of many we hope to see while visiting London.
Christmas at Trafalgar Square

Our third pop - up Christmas Market at Trafalgar Square, complete with huge tree.
Highlights from City Center

We spent quite a while weaving across bridges, viewing the sights of downtown London from both the South and North banks.
The Globe

Hard to walk past and not go in. Sadly, the theater was closed as we passed. Perhaps on another day.
Traversing the Thames

The song talks about one London Bridge falling down. In fact there are several bridges that span the Thames (none of which appear to be falling), and we spent much of the afternoon waking back andOkumaya devam et
The National Gallery

Today's forecast calls for a lot of rain, so we elected to spend the day visiting museums. Our first stop, the National Gallery.
Rainy Afternoon in London

Still pretty dreary weather, so we walked from one museum to another, taking in the sights and grabbing some fish and chips on the way.
The British Museum

The British Museum boasts an astounding collection of items "borrowed" from other countries. While I certainly enjoyed viewing, a big part of me wondered if the Egyptians wanted their mummies back.
Holidays in the Shopping District

Got a bit of a break in the rain so we wandered down Oxford, Regent, and New Bond Streets, taking in the bustle of holiday shopping and some spectacular light displays.
The London Zoo

No vacation is complete without a trip to the zoo (in my book anyway). Sadly, there appears to be no such thing as a sunny day in London, so we still had some rain to contend with. Many of the animalsOkumaya devam et
Camden Canals

After the zoo, we wandered down the canals and visited the nearby Camden Loch market. By far the coolest setting for a flea market that I've ever seen! The good stall choices were pretty extensiveOkumaya devam et
King's Cross Station

On our way to Amsterdam, although the route we took to reach our train hints at a more magical destination 😉.