it's London, Baby...

A cousin of mine has a British boyfriend. She has spent a lot of time in England lately. It makes me itchy to travel again. I can hear my passport calling me from the safe. And the deals that are offered this time of year for a few days in London don't help. B is not up for trans-atlantic flight... not until we go to Scotland in a year or so. But maybe I could get away with taking C on a short trip. She's as much of a history geek as B & I.

I have a feeling C would LOVE seeing places like The Tower and other London "tourist attractions". I could have spent the whole day at The Tower. The place is steeped in history. Where else can you walk where Kings and Queens lived and died. I think people today think of it as a prison, but it was a royal palace, too. We stood on Tower Green, feet from where Anne Boleyn lost her head. A little creepy, but completely amazing. Don't forget the Crown Jewels... a trip to the Tower would not be complete without seeing them. Oh, and the ravens. There is a legend that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, that will be the end of the monarchy.

Westminster. Another day-long trip! Amazing building. What struck me right off were the marble steps leading into Westmister. They are so worn. The centuries of people using those steps is apparent in the amount of marble that has been worn away. To see the coronation chair (we were there in 2000) was beyond words.

We stayed in a very tourist grade hotel, but that was fine, we spent so little time in the hotel - it was really just a bed and bath! The Underground system is amazing. By the 3rd day I barely used the map anymore. Mind the Gap.

Covent Garden was wonderful. My cousin got a pair of 'available in the UK only' Doc Martins there... a lovely irodescent green snakeskin. Sigh... I wanna go back. Whine whine whine.