westminster

As I am going through my pictures, I realize I may have to do day 3 and 4 in seperate posts. SO many pictures to show. Instead of this being an uber-post, lets document day 3 here and then I will get started on day 4.

Day 3 was Valentine's day. My cute niece and nephew each made me a Valentine. My sister also gave me a box of Lindt chocolates. Yum! Though I missed being with the husband, he had given me the best Valentine's gift ever: my trip. So I made it a point to enjoy every single minute. We decided to venture out and walk around Westminster Abbey. I will not get sick of seeing Big Ben. The whole of Westminster Abbey was awesome. We then headed towards Trafalgar Square. On the way we saw the royal horse guards and had to snap pictures there.






One thing that was very entertaining was watching the dirty looks the Royal Guard gave the tourists when they walked over and touched his horse, all in the name of a picture. Really?!!?? Do you really have to annoy the Royal Guard? Really??? There is a sign, right next to the horse, that says "BEWARE" and to stay back. Besides, he does have a royal job and for you to disturb him in that, while he is on a giant horse, may not be the best idea. Then again, for entertainment purposes, it was fun to count how many dirty looks the Royal Guard gave in a matter of minutes.
Once we made it to Trafalgar Square, I couldn't ignore my nephew's pleas to climb on the lions. It looks easy to climb them but it is actually higher than one might think. Plus, there are LOADS of other people there with the same idea. We waited over 15 minutes just to get a picture of us from the front of the lions. There was a group of foreign students who were sure to take their sweet time and get their money's worth. I'm not complaining. I just wish others would be courteous while on vacation. It blows me away how rude and annoying visitors to another country can be. Not just in England but in other places I have traveled. I am honestly flabbergasted by the audacity of foreigners who feel it is their right to take over, no matter the custom. I will step off my soap box now...






Next stop: The National Gallery. I had to get my fill of fine art. I have to admit, living in St. Petersburg we were spoiled in that we got to see many amazing pieces of art, for free, while we lived there. We were practically swimming in art! But I am always excited for more. The National Gallery happens to hold one of my most favorite pieces of art: Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh. I was most looking forward to seeing that but I had no idea I would also clasp my eyes on my other favorite piece of art: The Japanese Footbridge by Claude Monet.


We walked in to greet a sea of people who also were out to enjoy art. We finally made our way through the crowds and there it was...Sunflowers, staring me in the face. I was surprised by how emotional I got. Again, how can one describe seeing THE REAL THING for the first time? They also had on display other Van Gogh paintings, which was wonderful. Once I'd had my fill, I turned to face Monet. It was too much. I actually shed a tear. Through all this, my sister was having an experience of her own. My niece decided to stick the curved handle of her Hello Kitty umbrella in her mouth. As you can guess it got stuck and my sister didn't know she had done this until she looked down to see wide-eyes and an umbrella sticking out of Fia's mouth. Once the umbrella was dislodged, my sister decided it best to wait outside while I filled my art canteen. We did giggle about it afterwards.
These pictures were taken just outside the National Gallery. I also need to mention that I was the kids' gum dispenser while there. I am a gum fanatic so there is always an ample supply in my purse. One of the pictures here is me giving Fia a piece, promptly followed by her swallowing it and asking for another.



Our last stop of the day was Buckingham Palace. It was fun to see. Definitely no action happening...I was hoping for a peek of the Queen. But the building itself is great to look at.






Every chance he got, my nephew liked to challenge me to a foot race. My sister captured this one while running down the steps of this monument by Buckingham Palace. It was always fun to win. ;) After Buckingham Palace, we headed towards the tube station. It began to pour rain, as if we didn't expect that. So we were happy to get back to their flat and out of the rain. On a side note, I didn't mind the rain at all. It was a nice change from the snow and cold. I didn't like being wet all the time though. That did get old. I don't think I thawed out from England until I'd been home for a week. But I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Up next: Chawton House!!