Hello, friends!  How did you like the Cucumber Gin Spritz?  Rhonda ran off to London for a few days last week to visit Blind Piglet #1 who is studying abroad for the semester.  It was a quick trip packed with lots of fun sight seeing, so she is going to share some highlights with you this week.

I left Dallas around 3:30 pm on a Friday.  I had a layover in Charlotte and left there at 10:00 pm.  I don’t tell you this to bore you with every detail of my trip, but wanted to share that time-wise, it was a great flight to take.  As soon as I got on the plane in Charlotte, I made myself settle in and go to sleep. Although I did not sleep well, I did manage to get some sleep.  We landed in London at about 11:00 am.  I was refreshed enough to keep moving the rest of the day with little jet lag.  I have traveled to Europe three times before, and each time I had to take a break during the middle of the day, because I could not function without my sleep. Not this time!

Soon after landing in London and connecting with Blind Piglet #1, I was off to seeing the sights!  My trip through London the next four days would feel like a kindergartener had sketched our route.  I am sure it was much more logically planned, but it did not feel like it to me.

One of my first stops was to Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian.  I am a huge math and science geek which gave me great pleasure to stand with one foot in each hemisphere and see where the standard units of measure for the English system were calibrated.

After visiting Greenwich, which is lovely, we boarded a boat and took a little trip down the Thames near London Tower and Tower Bridge.

While near Tower Bridge we decided to have dinner at this fun restaurant called Coppa that has little bubbles you can sit in while eating.  We thought that these little domes had been reserved for weeks, but upon asking, managed to snag a fun little table.  The food was better than is typical for restaurants in a high tourist area, and was not overly priced.  We had great service, and enjoyed watching the tourists walk along the Thames.

Breakfast was a fun adventure the next morning we went to The Sky Garden. This fun restaurant, bar, and greenhouse combined makes for a great place to have a meal, sip a cocktail and enjoy the views of London.  You need to make reservations, because they only allow a limited number of visitors at a time.  It is well worth it.  The only thing that I would change is that we were there on a day that the weather was quite dreary, so we could not see far.

Our next adventure was tea at The Wolseley.  The Wolseley is a cafe’ and restaurant near Piccadilly Circus.  Remember The Ritz Carlton that Julia Roberts’ character  stayed at in Notting Hill?  The Wolseley is right next to The Ritz.  This cafe’ was so fun. The decor was black and gold with cool chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.  The place was bustling for afternoon tea and the people watching was entertaining.  The experience of having a proper English High Tea was something that everyone should partake.

We visited many other exciting and interesting places while I was in London, but the final one that I want to highlight is The Tower of London.  If you are a history buff or just intrigued by stories of Henry VIII, The Tower of London is a must see.  We participated in the free tour by the Yeoman’s Warder, which enhanced our visit with tidbits of information that we would not have otherwise known.  The highlight of the visit was not the cruel stories of beheadings and torture, but viewing The Crown Jewels of England.

What trips have you taken on a whim while packing in a long list of activities?  We’d love to hear about your adventures.  Next week, we are back to sharing some more great recipes with you, and we promise, we will do an April Bonus post.