H.A. Larson's Blog, page 2

Summer, Here Again

Not quite three months ago, I announced that Spring had arrived, and now, it's nearly Summer. I will miss the cooler temperatures, but I'm ready for Summer this year. I have a lot of plans for the season, so I'm more than ready to get things started.
This week is my last week at work before my annual two-week vacation. I went abroad last year, so this year, much like in  2023, is what I call my "Off-Year Vacation." Instead of traveling abroad, I do a mix of domestic travel, hanging out at home, enjoying my favorite places during the weekdays, and spending time with my friends. 
While I absolutely cherish a trip to my great love, Europe, my off-year vacations tend to be less hectic and more relaxing. This weekend, I'm heading West for a long weekend. Then, I'll spend about four days on the home front before heading South for six days. On our return, we'll celebrate a birthday and a wedding, before wrapping up what should be an epic two weeks. 
There's a lot more happening this summer, more travel than usual, and I'll be sure to post about it all here. Before I do that, I still have to get out the last two posts from my United Kingdom trip last Fall, which I will get done soon.
Enjoy the upcoming weekend, friends.

United Kingdom Trip Day 6: Stonehenge & Bath, England

Good morning. I've got my coffee and a belly full of eggs, meat, and cheese, so I'm ready to share Day 6 of my trip to the UK last year. When I decided to go to England, I had a list of must-see places that were non-negotiable, and Stonehenge & Bath were on that list. So, this is what we did on Day 6. We got up early after traveling back to England from Wales the day before, and headed to Victoria Station to catch our tour bus. After about three hours, we reached our first destination...


...Stonehenge. We only had an hour to visit the ancient site, so I made the most of it. 



It was a stunning day in the English countryside, and the closer I got to the stones, the more awestruck I became.



From every angle, Stonehenge looks different. 



It really was a feast for the eyes.



There were plenty of these informative signs at the site, and this one explains a bit about how the Sun played a big role in the arrangement of the stones.






See what I mean about it looking different from every angle?



Pictures do not do it justice.






The whole time we were on this trip, the three of us would go our separate ways whenever we went somewhere, which made sense and suited me just fine. That way, we could stop where we wanted, see what we wanted to see, and enjoy things in our own way. 
After about 45 minutes, I headed back to the gift shop, picked up a few gifts for people, and ordered an onion pasty at the restaurant. Keith and Audrey eventually joined me at a seat outside. After that, we headed back to the bus for our second destination....



...Bath. This quaint town is close to the Western edge of the country and not far from Cardiff, where we had just been the day before. The whole place is a World UNESCO Heritage site, so nothing can be changed...even the houses that people live in. After we arrived, our tour guide gave us a short tour along the side street to the left here, and told us to meet him at the Roman Baths around 2 pm - the whole reason I came here. 
Again, the three of us split up and went on our way.



This is one of many entrances to the baths.



Bath Abbey towers above the town and is flanked by a town square. Musicians played here throughout the day. I sat for awhile and watched a few while I ate two scoops of clotted cream ice cream - literally the best ice cream I've ever had.



More formally known as the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, this church served as a Benedictine monastery.



A close-up of the door to the abbey.



I haven't been able to find the significance of the year 1576, but in 1574, Queen Elizabeth I promoted the restoration of the Abbey, as it was a shell of what it once was at that time.



After this, I went to Bath City Parade Gardens and strolled around.



It is a beautiful and well-maintained park.



It borders the River Avon, and I got a glimpse of some houseboats.



I was anxious to get into the Roman Baths (what can I say, you all know I'm a Roman history buff), so I wandered around the city centre near the baths. There is still Roman architecture here, and I admired all of it.



This here is the Cross Bath and Cross Spring. Originally a Celtic shrine, it was repurposed by the Romans in AD 60.






Right behind it, at the end of Bath Street, is the Hospital of St. John the Baptist. It was built in 1174 beside the Cross Bath to utilize its healing waters.



Time has degraded these Roman statues.



Part of the Roman architecture that still surrounds the Baths complex.



Finally, we got inside the baths, and I basically made a beeline for the Great Bath.



Here's a view of it from up top.



A quote on one of the many stairwells that stood between me and the Great Bath.



Any crumbled architecture that could be salvaged was put on display.



I finally reached my final destination. Much like I did at the Mithraeum in London, I stayed down here for a long time while I took it all in with misty eyes and a full heart.



This day, much like my time spent at the Cliffs of Moher, was one of the best days of my life. I texted my dad from right here to tell him so.



Just look at this. Not as grand as it was when it was constructed, it's still majestic after nearly 2000 years.



This is a "pipe" that led water into the Great Bath from its source.



Ancient Romans and local citizens walked on this stone long, long ago.



You could visit all the rooms that flanked the Great Bath, and other baths in the complex as well. A few of the rooms, like this one, had projected videos on the walls to show you how they were used. People would come here after a bath and get rubbed down by servants.



This was a hot room, or a sauna if you will.



This immersion pool was where bathers would take a cold plunge after their long, hot bath.



This is the East Bath and is closed off from the public, although this window allows you to see it. The East Bath was a tepid bath that was filled by runoff from the Great Bath.



After our time in the Roman Baths, Audrey and I met up again to search for a drink and appetizers.



We found the Coeur de Lion, the smallest pub in Bath.



Inside, they serve Abbey Ales, which are brewed right in the city. I picked this one.



It was a tasty medium-dark ale and went well with the appetizers, which were less than stellar.



This is literally the size of the pub.



Although they do have an upstairs area, which is where the bathroom is, of damn course, but we didn't check it out.



The street next to the Coeur de Lion is The Corridor, an indoor shopping arcade.
We finally had to make our way back to the bus, where we met up with Keith again.



The tour guide pointed out a bit of the gorgeous English countryside as we started on our way back to London, so I made sure to take a picture. Lovely!
We made it back to London after three hours, and after navigating public transport back to the Airbnb, we were exhausted. So, we went to bed shortly after returning so we would be well-rested for Day 7. Stay tuned for that!

I know this post has a ton of photos in it, but I guess you should expect that from me at this point. I had thought about splitting this up into two posts, but I figured I'd never get this series done if I did that. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope you're enjoying the new look I've given the blog. It was overdue. 

Until next time.












 

United Kingdom Trip Day 5: Cardiff, Wales - London, England

After a night of heavy drinking and an okay sleep in one of the world's worst hostels, I woke up groggy and a tad hungover. Since we were staying in a room for six people, and I was the first one up, I quietly made my way out of the room to not disturb anyone. After brushing my teeth, I sat on one of the handful of staircases in the hostel (the description said there was a lounge area with couches but that was a lie!). I played around on my phone until Audrey joined me shortly thereafter. Across the street was a McDonald's, so we headed over there. Audrey was hungry, and I was in desperate need of coffee. 
After a bit of liquid gold, I felt better and headed back to the hostel to take a shower. Our train was heading back to London around noon, and we wanted to walk down to Cardiff Bay. I wanted to check out the Norwegian Church, and Audrey wanted to see the ocean. While the latter is not exactly possible, it sorta is. See, Cardiff Bay connects to the Bristol Channel, which connects to the Celtic Sea, which connects to the North Atlantic Ocean. 



It was a good 20-minute walk, so we were well on our way to another 20k-step day. The half-marathon that was happening that day made the journey a bit more difficult as certain roads were cordoned off. We also checked out of the hostel and had all our luggage with us. It was times like these that I was ever so grateful to myself for using a backpack suitcase for this trip. For contrast, Keith had to drag two large suitcases behind him, and Audrey had small bags, but like three of them. 



While Audrey got her "ocean" view, the Norwegian Church was off in the distance, mocking me. Well, it wasn't really mocking me, but it was off-limits as the city had completely blocked all access to it, again, due to that damn half-marathon.



We passed Enterprise House both on the way to the Bay and back. Now in use as offices, it was once a "provision curers and bonded store merchants' premises".
Seeing all we could see, we headed back to the train station to wait.



I took a picture of these young gentlemen because they were guzzling all the booze in their possession...in the morning, in a public train station. You'd never see that here! 



A shot of Cardiff Station.

Since we were earlier than we wanted to be, we inquired as to whether we could hop on an earlier train to London that was coming through, and we were told that we could. We got back to London and checked back into our same Airbnb. Keith then settled in for a nap while Audrey and I headed out in search of an ATM and a laundromat. We found both after quite an adventure, and were happy to have clean clothes again.
Now, the night could've ended there, but Keith (who still uses Facebook) was contacted by some good mutual friends of ours that just so happened to be in London at the same damn time! What are the odds!

Since we were staying in the Elephant & Castle neighborhood, I suggested we meet at The Elephant & Castle pub. Established in 1765, this pub was 259 years old when we visited!



The building is old, but incredibly charming with a great ambience. Keith stands at the bar getting us some Inch's Cider.



In town to see an American football game, meeting up with Jeff & Jenny was AWESOME! We got to catch up, have a few drinks, and share some laughs. The bartender "accused" Jeff of being from the same place as Keith & me since our accents were the same. LOL We got a kick out of that. I still can't believe we just happened to all be in London at the same time. What a treat!
We made it an early night, however, as they were heading back to the States while we were off on a big day trip the next day. Stay tuned for the next post to find out all about that!











 

Holiday Break 2024

One of the best things about my job is the annual holiday shutdown. I work at a university, and since the campus is a ghost town around this time of the year, they shut down operations for a few weeks. If you include the weekends, it's an 11- or 12-day break. We sacrifice five federal holidays during the year, combine them with Christmas holidays, and get paid for the whole shebang. Honestly, it's a bonus vacation, and who doesn't love that? Every year, I make the most of my time away from work. This year, I thought I'd show you how I spent it.



The Friday before the shutdown, my department hosted a holiday party at a small bowling alley with food provided. We closed down around 11:30 am and got to go home afterwards. I had only been in the department for a month and a half, so it was nice to get to know some of my coworkers better.
 

Our last day before the shutdown was Friday, December 20th, and we didn't have to return until Wednesday, January 2nd. I relaxed at home with a few drinks that evening. The next day, Saturday the 21st, my daughter and I went to my best friend Keith's house. He had gotten me a cake for my birthday (the 22nd of December), so we hung out with him and his little girl for a while.



On Sunday, my birthday!, we checked into Christmas Cabin. Every few years, my ex-husband and I get a cabin in the same state park for a few nights during the holidays - a tradition we've been doing for many years, which I've posted about here before.






My friend Jayne came out and stayed that evening, and we ate half the charcuterie I brought, had plenty of drinks, and enjoyed a roaring fire outside.



I got to wake up to this.
The next evening, two of my besties and their kids came out, so we enjoyed the other half of the charcuterie, more drinks, and another roaring fire.



The next day was Christmas Eve, the day we celebrate Christmas. My ex, myself, and our kids took a leisurely drive in the countryside around the state park. We found this cemetery and checked out some graves.



I made spaghetti dinner, we opened gifts, had more drinks, and had our last bonfire of the trip before we checked out the next morning.
My daughter went home with my son to spend a few days, and I took my ex to their house. I then spent that evening in the quiet solitude of my own home.



The morning of the 26th, I had a long, leisurely coffee morning. By afternoon, I was ready to get out, so I headed to the Joslyn Museum. It had recently opened after being closed for more than two years while they added a new section. I hadn't been there since it reopened, and it was incredibly cool to see the changes.




















After an afternoon of modern art in the new section of the Joslyn, I stopped by the Dundee Dell for an appetizer and a drink.



On the 27th, I had agreed to meet the kids in Ashland to bring my daughter back home, so I figured it was the perfect time for a short hike out at Schramm SRA beforehand.



It was the perfect day for a hike.



Schramm had also gone through a few years of renovation, and I finally got to check out the new fish ponds.



I've taken this shot many times, but now it looks different. For reference, here's what it used to look like.







I got to Ashland well ahead of the kids and discovered an absolute gem in the downtown area: Willow Point Gallery. It showcases art by Nebraska native Gene Roncka, but was bequeathed a big game collection from local Archie Hightshoe.



I know I took pictures of the art as well, but they're lost from my phone. Still, I enjoyed my visit there, especially since the friendly, elderly lady working gave me hot mulled cider and a cookie.



On the 28th, I woke up early and went back to Schramm, but this time I just brought an omelette and made camp coffee. If you've never done this, you don't know what you're missing.



The next day, I headed over to Lincoln to spend a day with my son. We went to another cemetery where I chuckled at this headstone like a 13-year-old boy.



Before I knew it, NYE was here. Rebecca and I had reservations at a place that ended up being closed! Luckily, we found a bar a few blocks away that was open and deserted (it was early). We grabbed some dinner and a few drinks. They even let us take some party swag with us.



We ended the evening at my house with wine, charcuterie, and watched countdowns with fireworks videos from several cities across the globe.

You'd think with all those bonus days off I'd be ready to go back to work, but no. I was definitely ready for a few more days of relaxation. Still, I'm grateful every year for the break.

See you soon for the next installment from my trip to the UK!

Spring has Arrived

And just like that, Spring is here. Fall is without a doubt my favorite season, but Spring is a close second. And why not? All the foliage is returning, and the temperature is perfect. I can hear the birds singing, kids playing, and smell a charcoal grill from somewhere in the neighborhood. My favorite winery will start their Friday night music series back up next week, and I'm excited to sit on their patio with my bestie, drink wine, and eat charcuterie. I'm getting emails about outdoor events that are coming up, and when I walk to my car from my building after work, it smells so fresh and clean. 
I walk around my favorite city park, conveniently located across the street from my office, on my lunch break. I've been visiting the state parks and recreation areas, either hiking or strolling around. I'm enjoying the longer days and appreciate the sunlight that streams into my home through the windows later into the evening. 
Besides relishing in my second-favorite season, I'm eagerly anticipating all the fun events, trips, concerts, and vacation coming up. 
Indeed, everything is coming alive, awakening from its Winter slumber and embracing all that Spring has to offer. 
It's a season of hope, renewal, and promise.
I'm here for it.
 

United Kingdom Trip Day 4: Cardiff, Wales

 

After a wonderful but crazy-busy Day 3 in London, we woke up the next morning and hit the ground running again. Why? Well, first off, there's no rest for the wicked, and secondly, we had a train to catch. So, we got up, got ready, and headed to the Underground. A few of the Underground stations also connect with the National Train Stations, Paddington being one of them. We got off at Paddington Station and walked through to the Paddington Train Station.





Our destination? Cardiff, Wales, for a quick overnight. This was Audrey's pick because she really wanted to hit up another country while we were in England. She found a Dr. Who walking tour, and since she's a big fan of the show, it seemed like a good enough excuse to visit.



The train got us to Cardiff in a little over three hours.



A brief walk took us right into City Centre. Cardiff is the same size, both geographically and population-wise to my city, Omaha, but much older. We had booked a hostel for the night as it was the only option. Turns out, the Cardiff Half Marathon was the next day which is why we couldn't find a standard hotel with availability 10 months prior. Not that I mind a hostel stay, not at all, but truth be told, our hostel couldn't have been any worse. I digress though, as that's a whole tale unto itself.



The Dr. Who walking tour was at 1:30 and we arrived around 11, so we left our bags back at the hostel's bar and ventured forth.



Down at the end of the main road, is Cardiff Castle. While there are a couple of buildings within that require paid admission, wandering around the inside grounds is free, so that's what we did.
Note: see that odd bit of wall on the bottom right-hand side of the castle? Fun fact, that's what's left of a Roman wall that has been here for centuries, and the castle repurposed what was left of into its walls. After the Mithraeum, the Roman history buff in me was thrilled to see more Roman history before my eyes.






In the large courtyard sits what I believe would have been the armory, but I don't know that for sure. You can also spy the back wall and gate of the castle. We were to meet our tour guide outside the castle gates, so it was a great way to kill some time. 



Now, I generally hate walking tours and this one was no different. All that standing around is not something I enjoy one bit and this tour lasted almost twice as long as it was supposed to. I nearly died, y'all!  
While I wasn't excited about the tour, our guide made sure to point out significant bits of Welsh history and Cardiff's history. I enjoyed that quite a bit and made me feel like I got more out of Cardiff than a quick overnight.



I took pictures of the city while we walked, and reminded myself to check out this bar later in the evening.






As someone who received their BA in Religious Studies and whose favorite parts of history are Roman and Knights Templar, I was excited that our guide brought us to an old church in the city: The City Parish of St. John the Baptist (aka St. John's).



I was even more thrilled to learn that the side chapel in the church was (and still is) dedicated to the sect of Knights Templar. You have my attention, sir!



Knights Templar flag and crest.



See the little Knights that adorn the top of each post? How cool is that?



A shot down the main chapel.



From this vantage point, I get a glimpse of the Knights Templar chapel.



Back out on the street, we saw a double-decker carousel. I've never seen one like that in my life.



Another stop on the tour was the New Theatre, located close to City Centre. Opened to the public in 1906, this theatre has been here for a long time.



After the tour finally ended and we had gotten another 20k steps day in, Keith went off to get souvenirs, while Audrey and I went to get dinner and a drink. As usual, I wanted to get authentic British food, so we went to Pieminister. I got the steak and bacon pie (yum), with a side of slaw, mushy peas, and gravy that automatically comes with each pie. I washed it down with an amazing Swedish cider that I drank plenty of while in the UK.



After that, Audrey went to the hostel to nap while Keith and I met back up and proceeded to hit up the town. We went to a pub called The Cottage which was just like most British pubs we have been to.



We hit up two more establishments before checking out the Brewery Quarter.



It was a double-decker space with restaurants and bars both up and down. We went to a few bars in here.



Since our hostel was in City Centre we were never more than a stone's throw from it all night long. This made it easy to drink a bit too much.
I have to say, I was struck by how different it was being in Cardiff compared to Omaha. The citizens do not sit in their houses all day staring at their phones. They are out and about, walking, playing at the park, shopping, visiting with friends, and just living life as it was meant to be lived. I loved it. Also, the Welsh really know how to party!  lol
We went to bed after this as we wanted to see a few more things in Cardiff before we caught the train back to London the next morning. That, then, will be part of my next post in this series. 

See you then!

United Kingdom Trip: Cardiff, Wales, Day 4

 

After a wonderful but crazy-busy Day 3 in London, we woke up the next morning and hit the ground running again. Why? Well, first off, there's no rest for the wicked, and secondly, we had a train to catch. So, we got up, got ready, and headed to the Underground. A few of the Underground stations also connect with the National Train Stations, Paddington being one of them. We got off at Paddington Station and walked through to the Paddington Train Station.





Our destination? Cardiff, Wales, for a quick overnight. This was Audrey's pick because she really wanted to hit up another country while we were in England. She found a Dr. Who walking tour, and since she's a big fan of the show, it seemed like a good enough excuse to visit.



The train got us to Cardiff in a little over three hours.



A brief walk took us right into City Centre. Cardiff is the same size, both geographically and population-wise to my city, Omaha, but much older. We had booked a hostel for the night as it was the only option. Turns out, the Cardiff Half Marathon was the next day which is why we couldn't find a standard hotel with availability 10 months prior. Not that I mind a hostel stay, not at all, but truth be told, our hostel couldn't have been any worse. I digress though, as that's a whole tale unto itself.



The Dr. Who walking tour was at 1:30 and we arrived around 11, so we left our bags back at the hostel's bar and ventured forth.



Down at the end of the main road, is Cardiff Castle. While there are a couple of buildings within that require paid admission, wandering around the inside grounds is free, so that's what we did.
Note: see that odd bit of wall on the bottom right-hand side of the castle? Fun fact, that's what's left of a Roman wall that has been here for centuries, and the castle repurposed what was left of into its walls. After the Mithraeum, the Roman history buff in me was thrilled to see more Roman history before my eyes.






In the large courtyard sits what I believe would have been the armory, but I don't know that for sure. You can also spy the back wall and gate of the castle. We were to meet our tour guide outside the castle gates, so it was a great way to kill some time. 



Now, I generally hate walking tours and this one was no different. All that standing around is not something I enjoy one bit and this tour lasted almost twice as long as it was supposed to. I nearly died, y'all!  
While I wasn't excited about the tour, our guide made sure to point out significant bits of Welsh history and Cardiff's history. I enjoyed that quite a bit and made me feel like I got more out of Cardiff than a quick overnight.



I took pictures of the city while we walked, and reminded myself to check out this bar later in the evening.






As someone who received their BA in Religious Studies and whose favorite parts of history are Roman and Knights Templar, I was excited that our guide brought us to an old church in the city.



I was even more thrilled to learn that the side chapel in the church was (and still is) dedicated to the sect of Knights Templar. You have my attention, sir!



Knights Templar flag and crest.



See the little Knights that adorn the top of each post? How cool is that?



A shot down the main chapel.



From this vantage point, I get a glimpse of the Knights Templar chapel.



Back out on the street, we saw a double-decker carousel. I've never seen one that like in my life.



Another stop on the tour was the New Theatre, located in the City Center. Opened to the public in 1906, this theatre has been here for a long time.



After the tour finally ended and we had gotten another 20k steps day in, Keith went off to get souvenirs, while Audrey and I went to get dinner and a drink. As usual, I wanted to get authentic British food, so we went to a mince pie shop. I got the steak and bacon pie (yum), with a side of slaw, mushy peas, and gravy that automatically comes with each pie. I washed it down with an amazing Swedish cider that I drank plenty of while in the UK.



After that, Audrey went to the hostel to nap while Keith and I met back up and proceeded to hit up the town. We went to the pub I saw earlier in the day, The City Arms, so I made good on my promise to myself.



We hit up two more establishments before checking out the Brewery Quarter.



It was a double-decker space with restaurants and bars both up and down. We went to a few bars in here.



Since our hostel was in City Centre we were never more than a stone's throw from it all night long. This made it easy to drink a bit too much.
I have to say, I was struck by how different it was being in Cardiff compared to Omaha. The citizens do not sit in their houses all day staring at their phones. They are out and about, walking, playing at the park, shopping, visiting with friends, and just living life as it was meant to be lived. I loved it. Also, the Welsh really know how to party!  lol
We went to bed after this as we wanted to see a few more things in Cardiff before we caught the train back to London the next morning. That, then, will be part of my next post in this series. 

See you then!

When You Realize You are Who You Always Wanted to Be

Over the years, I've envied a handful of women—a couple of musicians and bloggers. All talented, beautiful, smart, financially independent, and well-traveled, these ladies had a life I could only dream of and desperately longed for. If you combine this envy with long-held dreams of living in an exotic, exciting locale, and a miserable, poverty-stricken life, you have one desperate woman. The regret over my life choices hung over me like a dark, ominous cloud.

The funny thing about regret is that if it sits under the skin too long, it turns into things like depression, worthlessness, poor decision-making, and even anger. In turn, those things can lead you to turn to easy fixes; such as drinking, eating, or whatever your pick of poison is. It's a vicious cycle that feels endless and impossible to escape. 

In 2018, I began to realize that if my life was going to change then I needed to change. It all started and ended with me, as far as my life was concerned, and I needed to fix it. It's been nearly seven years now since I had that revelation.

Out of the list of women I envied, one of the musicians is dead. The other has faded farther and farther into obscurity. The bloggers quit blogging. One fell off the map, and another now concentrates on social media pages that are mostly contrived and more than a bit pretentious. I'm hardly envious of any of them anymore.

As for my life, a lot has happened in seven years. I worked my ass off to move from a series of crappy, low-paying jobs into an actual career. And it's a career that I love and pays me a salary that keeps me far above the poverty line. 

I escaped my miserable marriage and the poverty that came with it. This gave me freedom; control of my own finances; and drastically improved my mental health. It gave me a happiness I hadn't known since childhood.

For the first time in my adult life, I was able to move into a NICE home (not a pile of shit), fill it with nice things (yet little of it new), and buy a brand-spanking NEW car. 

I started filling my life with as much adventure as I could muster between my home and a three-hour radius around it. I was able to start traveling the world and make it a regular thing.

After years of having nothing set aside for emergencies or retirement, I was able to set myself up for the retirement I've always dreamt of. I have a budget that allows me to survive and thrive, all while building for my future.

I have better and closer relationships with all the people who matter the most in my life. Their love and support have an immeasurable worth and an impact that cannot be overstated.

I finally have a life that is envious to other people, not the other way around. Not that anyone needs to be envious, it's achievable by anyone. 

Yes, I truly have the life I always dreamt that I would have, and I'm the person I always wanted to be. 

This period of my life feels like a dream. I couldn't be any happier or more at peace than I am right now. 

Still, regardless of everything, I don't take anything for granted. I am grateful every day for what I have, what I've achieved, and the life I get to live.

I'm grateful for you, too. Thank you for being here, and for supporting me all these years. Talk to you soon, friend.

United Kingdom Trip Day 3: London, England

I'm back with my second post in my UK series. I hope you all had a good holiday; I sure did. I'll have a post about my holiday break coming soon, but in the meantime, enjoy Day 3 of London. As I mentioned in the first post in this series, there are a lot of photos.
After a good night's rest, we were up and at 'em for a full day in London. Because we had a long day ahead of us, we decided to go out for breakfast. While Keith and I have both had the full Irish breakfast (it's the same as the full English breakfast), Audrey has not, so I found a cafe within walking distance called Terry's Cafe.


It was quintessentially small, very British, and quaint. Audrey and I both got the step down from the full English while Keith got the full one.



My step down from full included eggs, English bacon, English sausage, bubble & squeak (it's cabbage and mashed potato patties that are fried and absolutely delicious!), and, of course, beans.
With full bellies, we made our way to Sky Garden, located on the 34th floor of the Walkie Talkie building. Tickets are free but go fast so you need to book them starting two weeks in advance of your planned day.



Much like the Sky Bar at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, this top-floor, glass-enclosed area affords you a view of London from every angle. Once again, you can see the Shard. I'm sure you've guessed by now that our Airbnb was in Central London, which made getting around so much easier.

Also like the Sky Bar, there are words on the panes of glass letting you know where certain points of interest are. This one made me laugh, though, because you really have to expand the photo in order to actually see Wembley Stadium.



The city winds its way along The Thames.



A shot from inside the Sky Garden.



There's free water but also a coffee shop on this level while the half level up top has a small cafe.



We were done at Sky Garden around 11:15 or so and since Audrey and I's afternoon reservation wasn't until 1:15, we decided to go to where Keith wanted to really go. So, back on the Underground where we made our way to Trafalgar Square.



The iconic Nelson's Column surrounded by four lions. I've seen this in pictures so many times so it was really cool to see it in person. Off in the right-hand corner, you can see The National Gallery. Like most museums in London, it's free to go in but there was no time. Maybe next time.



Up close and personal.



There were plagues around Nelson's Column giving you a history of Trafalgar Square.



This wasn't our main destination, so after looking around a bit, we headed south on Parliament Street. Scotland Yard is just off to the left down a side street.



This path takes you directly by HRH King Charles' Horses Guard. I've watched a lot of YouTube videos and shorts about the guard so it was cool, again, to see them in person.



You can go beyond the arches and into a back parade ground where I saw this guard keeping watch. I've seen him in videos so many times that I consider him sort of a celebrity.



We passed this statue of Spencer Compton, the 8th Duke of Devonshire.



We stopped at The Red Lion to use their bathroom. I just love the flowers that adorn the tops of most pubs in London.



We finally made it to a statue of Winston Churchill and our destination.



Across the road from Winston is Elizabeth Tower aka Big Ben, the London Eye, and 



...the Houses of Parliament to the left.



Back behind Winston is Westminster Abbey, a place Keith really wanted to go. Here is where all the royalty gets married, and where many royalty and famous people are buried. 






Such as Queen Elizabeth I.



And her older sister, Queen Mary. 
Queen Mary of Scots is close by, as well as many King Henrys, although not King Henry the 8th. Also buried here are Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, and C.S. Lewis, to name but a few. My phone was about dead so I took many photos with Keith's phone although he has yet to send them to me.
After our whirlwind visit through the Abbey, we had reservations shortly after all, we headed back to the Airbnb where we freshened up and left Keith. Back on public transport up to Picadilly.



Afternoon tea was a must for me while in London, and I wasn't going to skimp so we went to a fancier, more expensive place: Fortnum & Mason.



Our elegant table.



Audrey loves tea so I let her pick, and she chose Victoria Grey - a blend made in honor of Queen Victoria herself.
They have a standard and a savoury tea, so we got one of each. The finger sandwiches were the same, but the scones and patisseries were different on each tower. They brought us macarons later and we had unlimited tea. We were so incredibly full when we left, that much is for certain.



A view along Picadilly Road.
After tea, we browsed around the actual store, checked out a few shops, and then got on a bus back to our lodging. We collected Keith and headed to another place in Kensington that I had wanted to go to and reserved months prior.



The Churchill Arms. This classic pub is named after Winston and has been in existence since 1750 - although it was renamed after WW2. I had booked a table because I figured it would be busy and, as you can see by this photo, I wasn't wrong!



I had some issues with the management of this place. First, I had requested to change my reservation from 2 people to 3 months prior. They never responded but when they emailed me a few days prior to confirm, I reminded them I wanted a table for 3 and not 2. Lo and behold, when we got there they still had us down for 2 people but after a bit of back and forth, they got us a table.
Then, even though it said nothing on the website that you had to order food with a reservation, they told us that we had to order food. This kinda pissed me off because if I had known that, I would've made the reservation for an evening where I wasn't stuffed on afternoon tea. I mean, we just tried to order appetizers and drinks, but they weren't having it. 


Still, the interior was beautiful and they had Bulmers on the menu! I hadn't had a Bulmers since my trip to Ireland in 2014, so I had two. We didn't stay long as we were disappointed with the whole experience so we headed back up to the Underground station.



However, I wasn't going to let that experience ruin our night so we stopped at a pub called the Old Swan between The Churchill Arms and the Underground. 



That had Inch's Berry Cider on tap, which was lovely, so I drank one.
Back on the Underground, I noticed that we'd have to pass Picadilly on the way back to our lodging, so I suggested we stop at Picadilly Circus. It's London's version of Times Square and a huge tourist trap, but we had the time as it was only around 9 pm or so.


The live billboard in the square.
Keith and I both really had to go to the restroom at this point and he spotted a HardRock Cafe. It's another tourist trap so I groaned, but Keith got excited because he's been to several HardRock cafes around the world. So, he offered to buy us all a drink. After a stop in the loo, I enjoyed a smoked whiskey sour.



Audrey then offered to get us a round of Lemon Drop shots which came with these Picadilly shot glasses that we got to keep.


Nicely buzzed, we stepped back out into the throng of tourists and just took it in.



Many were flocked around a memorial Victorian fountain crowned with what is widely believed to be a statue of Eros.
After this, we went back to our Airbnb and had more drinks before finally calling it a night.
Whew! What a day! This is exactly why I said that I needed to do one post for each day of the trip. It was a fun day and we were the consummate tourists. 

Until next time, friends,
H.A.











 

United Kingdom Trip: London, Day 3

I'm back with my second post in my UK series. I hope you all had a good holiday; I know I sure did. I'll have a post about my holiday break coming soon, but in the meantime, enjoy Day 3 of London. As I mentioned in the first post in this series, there are a lot of photos.
After a good night's rest, we were up and at 'em for a full day in London. Because we had a long day ahead of us, we decided to go out for breakfast. While Keith and I have both had the full Irish breakfast (it's the same as the full English breakfast), Audrey has not, so I found a cafe within walking distance called Terry's Cafe.


It was quintessentially small, very British, and quaint. Audrey and I both got the step down from the full English while Keith got the full one.



My step down from full included eggs, English bacon, English sausage, bubble & squeak (it's cabbage and mashed potato patties that are fried and absolutely delicious!), and, of course, beans.
With full bellies, we made our way to Sky Garden, located on the 34th floor of the Walkie Talkie building. Tickets are free but go fast so you need to book them starting two weeks in advance of your planned day.



Much like the Sky Bar at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, this top-floor, glass-enclosed area affords you a view of London from every angle. Once again, you can see the Shard. I'm sure you've guessed by now that our Airbnb was in Central London, which made getting around so much easier.

Also like the Sky Bar, there are words on the panes of glass letting you know where certain points of interest are. This one made me laugh, though, because you really have to expand the photo in order to actually see Wembley Stadium.



The city winds it's way along The Thames.



A shot from inside the Sky Garden.



There's free water but also a coffee shop on this level while the half level up top has a small cafe.



We were done at Sky Garden around 11:15 or so and since Audrey and I's afternoon reservation wasn't until 1:15, we decided to go to where Keith wanted to really go. So, back on the Underground where we made our way to Trafalgar Square.



The iconic Nelson's Column surrounded by four lions. I've seen this in pictures so many times so it was really cool to see it in person. Off in the right-hand corner, you can see The National Gallery. Like most museums in London, it's free to go in but there was no time. Maybe next time.



Up close and personal.



There were plagues around Nelson's Column giving you a history of Trafalgar Square.



This wasn't our main destination, so after looking around a bit, we headed south on Parliament Street. Scotland Yard is just off to the left down a side street.



This path takes you directly by HRH King Charles' Horses Guard. I've watched a lot of YouTube videos and shorts about the guard so it was cool, again, to see them in person.



You can go beyond the arches and into a back parade ground where I saw this guard keeping watch. I've seen him in videos so many times that I consider him sort of a celebrity.



We passed this statue of Spencer Compton, the 8th Duke of Devonshire.



We stopped at The Red Lion to use their bathroom. I just love the flowers that adorn the tops of most pubs in London.



We finally made it to a statue of Winston Churchill, and our destination.



Across the road from Winston is Elizabeth Tower aka Big Ben, the London Eye, and 



...the Houses of Parliament to the left.



Back behind Winston is Westminster Abbey, a place Keith really wanted to go. Here is where all the royalty gets married, and where many royalty and famous people are buried. 






Such as Queen Elizabeth I.



And her older sister, Queen Mary. 
Queen Mary of Scots is close by, as well as many King Henrys, although not King Henry the 8th. Also buried here are Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, and C.S. Lewis, to name but a few. My phone was about dead so I took many photos with Keith's phone although he has yet to send them to me.
After our whirlwind visit through the Abbey, we had reservations shortly after all, we headed back to the Airbnb where we freshened up and left Keith. Back on public transport up to Picadilly.



Afternoon tea was a must for me while in London, and I wasn't going to skimp so we went to a fancier, more expensive place: Fortnum & Mason.



Our elegant table.



Audrey loves tea so I let her pick, and she chose Victoria Grey - a blend made in honor of Queen Victoria herself.
They have a standard and a savoury tea, so we got one of each. The finger sandwiches were the same, but the scones and patisseries were different on each tower. They brought us macarons later and we had unlimited tea. We were so incredibly full when we left, that much is for certain.



A view along Picadilly Road.
After tea, we browsed around the actual store, checked out a few shops, and then got on a bus back to our lodging. We collected Keith and headed to another place in Kensington that I had wanted to go to and reserved months prior.



The Churchill Arms. This classic pub is named after Winston and has been in existence since 1750 - although is was renamed after WW2. I had booked a table because I figured it would be busy and, as you can see by this photo, I wasn't wrong!



I had some issues with the management of this place. First, I had requested to change my reservation from 2 people to 3 months prior. They never responded but when they emailed me a few days prior to confirm, I reminded them I wanted a table for 3 and not 2. Lo and behold, when we got there they still had us down for 2 people but after a bit of back and forth, they got us a table.
Then, even though it said nothing on the website that you had to order food with a reservation, they told us that we had to order food. This kinda pissed me off because if I had known that, I would've made the reservation for an evening where I wasn't stuffed on afternoon tea. I mean, we just tried to order appetizers and drinks, but they weren't having it. 


Still, the interior was beautiful and they had Bulmers on the menu! I hadn't had a Bulmers since my trip to Ireland in 2014, so I had two. We didn't stay long as we were disappointed with the whole experience so we headed back up to the Underground station.



However, I wasn't going to let that experience ruin our night so we stopped at a pub called the Old Swan between The Churchill Arms and the Underground. 



That had Inch's Cider on tap, which was lovely, so I drank two.
Back on the Underground, I noticed that we'd have to pass Picadilly on the way back to our lodging, so I suggested we stop at Picadilly Circus. It's London's version of Times Square, and a huge tourist trap, but we had the time as it was only around 9 pm or so.


The live billboard in the square.
Keith and I both really had to go to the restroom at this point and he spotted a HardRock Cafe. It's another tourist trap so I groaned, but Keith got excited because he's been to several HardRock cafes around the world. So, he offered to buy us all a drink. After a stop in the loo, I enjoyed a smoked whiskey sour.



Audrey then offered to get us a round of Lemon Drop shots which came with these Picadilly shot glasses that we got to keep.


Nicely buzzed, we stepped back out into the throng of tourists and just took it in.



Many were flocked around the a memorial Victorian Fountain crowned with what is widely-believed to be a statue of Eros.
After this, we went back to our Airbnb and had more drinks before finally calling it a night.
Whew! What a day! This is exactly why I said that I needed to do one post for each day of the trip. It was a fun day and we were the consummate tourists. 

Until next time, friends,
H.A.