"...I'm reminded of the virtues of the English."
VIOLET CRAWLEY, DOWAGER COUNTESS OF GRANTHAM
VIOLET CRAWLEY, DOWAGER COUNTESS OF GRANTHAM
Oh, London, stop stereotyping yourself. That's another way of saying we woke up to a cloudy, dreary, drippy day as we set off on our first full day in London. Our guide, Tom, provided us with an incredibly comprehensive tour of Westminster Abbey. Then, we headed to the Thames River to take a boat ride to the Tower of London--as Americans, fittingly entering by Traitor's Gate. After exploring the Tower and seeing an updated exhibit on the Crown Jewels, it was time to take the Tube back from Tower Hill to Baker Street for a fantastic fish 'n chips dinner at Sea Shell in Lisson Grove. No newspaper-wrapped grease there!
"I was made for lovin' you, baby. You were made for lovin' me." Whether it's sunny or damp, coffee is all the rage in London just as it is in the U.S. Costa, Nero, St. Arbucks (as our guide Tom calls it). No matter the brand or time of day, coffee seems to be outpacing tea drinking 10 to 1. Every corner has sandwich boards, tables, and chairs beckoning passers-by to shut their umbrellas and stop by for a while. Why the KISS lyrics, though? Simply because Costa coffee was running a catchy yet strangely weird TV commercial in Fall 2012--heads popping out of a pile of coffee beans while singing and grooving to the beat. You can catch your own bit of java fever by checking out the commercial on YouTube. Careful, though. The tune is as addictive as the bean itself!