Touring commenced at the crack of 10am this morning, after a long, restful sleep. Dad and I began out self-guided tour by riding the Tube to Westminster, where we saw Big Ben (connected to the House of Parliament), the London Eye, and Westminster Abbey.
Because we purchased London passes, we received the "fast pass" equivalent when entering the Abbey. I did not realize how massive that building truly is... It was overwhelming, to say the least. Seemingly hundreds of people are memorialized, if not buried under the Abbey's age-old gothic architecture, including Handel, Chaucer, Isaac Newton, Henry VIII, Ralph Vaughn Williams, and Benjamin Britten. We plan on returning there for a free organ recital on Sunday night. :) (Even the tourist part of this trip includes music!)
At this point, we were ravished! I convinced Dad to go to the city's best vegetarian restaurant, Tibits.
Oh My...
This food was amazing! Let me show you:
Tibits is set up as a buffet, where you pay a little over 2 pounds for every 100 g of food. I chose: red rice salad with rice, bell peppers, courgettes, and some fancy oil that I don't know how to spell; country style potatoes; organic whole rice with roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes; mixed summer vegetables; power greens (edamame, broccoli, and sweet peas in a chili fruit dressing); a linseed gluten free bread roll; and topped off with black forest dessert and sticky toffee pudding! All of this is organic and GMO free!
After an extremely satisfying meal, we traveled to the Kensington Palace, home of Queen Victoria. It was a nice break from the Abbey-- there were colors on the wall, and not too many items to read about. Here are some pictures:
(This was the "Grand King's Staircase". His accommodations were obviously much more intricate and grand than those of the queen...)
(This is a look through a peep-hole in one of Queen Victoria's childhood toys. It's quite intricate. The perspective is created by literally lengthening the box and placing paper cutouts further back.)
Side note: We entered the palace through Kensington Gardens, which house a carousel. I noticed that it actually runs clockwise instead of counterclockwise like those in America.
We needed food again at this point, so I ate sushi, and Dad ate pizza. After an hour of effective practicing, I am chilling in the hotel room. :)
Until tomorrow!
Amy
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