London in a Day...

I know, I know... I promised to update this blog more often once we moved and got settled into our new country...

It seems like just as we got settled, it was time to travel. Again....

But this time I traveled alone to the UK for 5 days for meetings/trainings & a retreat. The only time I've ever been to the UK is to travel to and from The States with a layover at Heathrow Airport. I had never actually toured or been on the ground... Until Now....

In between a week of meetings/trainings, we took a day off to ride the train into London, prayer walk a very multi-cultural neighborhood...lots of Arabic Everywhere!!! 

But then.... we toured the 2nd half of the day... Whoo Hoo!!! I've only waited 32 years to walk the streets of London...

This was an ABSOLUTE MUST!!! You can't go to London and not take a Telephone Booth Pic!

And the GREEN! So Much Beautiful Green, EVERYWHERE! (this was outside the city where we had our meetings)

Big Ben...Oh! This site was absolutely breathtaking! When I came up the stairs and out of the tunnel from riding the tube and looked up to see Big Ben with my own eyes.... AMAZING!!! (I have to admit, I was imagining Peter Pan, Wendy, John & Michael flying around it on their way to Neverland) :)

The (backside of) Westminster Abbey... The architecture is so beautiful!

It was like a scene out of a Movie being played out before my very eyes!

We literally ran to see Buckingham Palace because we had a 9pm train to catch.. but it was worth the quick peak! I've seen this site so many times on T.V. and to see it with my own eyes was really cool! The rest of the pics in the collage below are sites around the city.. whether it was the architecture, the movie-scene look-alike (in my mind at least), or the famous red, double-decker bus...ALL of it says LONDON!

The top Left picture says it all.. EAT. Seriously, it was like culture-shock, similar to America seeing all of these yummy, familiar food joints. But my FAVORITE was Chipotles... which I actually did eat at.. the rest were just places in passing. But Chipotles was like a Taste of Home for me! 

And one more telephone booth pic... because I can... and because this is such a classic London Picture... (excuse the little-girl/un-natural pose as Randall calls it) :)

 

I loved my time in the UK for several reasons... the ladies I was with are like family to me and the time with them was so special. You can't beat the food there! The touring in a day was so much fun and surreal...and definitely a place I would like to go again with more time to see and visit the inside of some historical buildings. 

Needless to say, another country checked off of my bucket list (with the hopes to return again)... and a reminder of such a blessed, adventurous life I (we) live.