We headed first to Kensington Palace, one of the official residences of the royal family and the place where Princess Diana lived. The best part about our tour of this palace, at least in my opinion, was the stunning photographs of Princess Di, and the collection of her dresses. We also saw a lot of antique furniture, painted ceilings, etc., that are usually a part of tours of castles and palaces. 
After we finished the tour (which took a lot longer than I expected), we ventured out into Hyde Park to see the Princess Diana memorial fountain. I must say, it was quite unimpressive, and I thought a memorial to such an incredible lady should have had much more to it. The fountain was really just this ring in which water flowed over various textured areas to give a ripple effect. It was really modern compared to other monuments or memorials in the city. 
We then headed back to the Westminster area to get our tickets for the Thames River Cruise. While we waited for our departure time we wandered down the River walkway, seeing the memorial to the Battle of Britain and the Jubilee Walkway, a footbridge that crosses the Thames . I wanted to continue down to Cleopatra's Needle and the sphinxes, but we ran out of time. 
After we finished the tour (which took a lot longer than I expected), we ventured out into Hyde Park to see the Princess Diana memorial fountain. I must say, it was quite unimpressive, and I thought a memorial to such an incredible lady should have had much more to it. The fountain was really just this ring in which water flowed over various textured areas to give a ripple effect. It was really modern compared to other monuments or memorials in the city. We then headed back to the Westminster area to get our tickets for the Thames River Cruise. While we waited for our departure time we wandered down the River walkway, seeing the memorial to the Battle of Britain and the Jubilee Walkway, a footbridge that crosses the Thames . I wanted to continue down to Cleopatra's Needle and the sphinxes, but we ran out of time. The river cruise was a lot of fun and gave us the opportunity to see up-close certain places that we had not been able to visit (Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Cleopatra's Needle), and to get a different view of other major landmarks (Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, etc.). The guide was quite humorous, and the weather was fabulous, so we really enjoyed being out on the river. Our cruise took us from just below Big Ben and Parliament all the way under Tower Bridge, where we turned around and received a lovely view of the bridge.
Finally, we headed to Piccadilly Circus for an early dinner at TGI Fridays, then back to the hotel to pack, since we all had early flights the next morning. Overall, we had a wonderful trip, saw SO many sights and really enjoyed it. I think Mom and Papa were ready to go home by the last couple of days - two weeks is a long time - but we made the most of every opportunity. It was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime chance to tour these two amazing countries, and I'm glad I was able to share it with my family. 
1 comment:
You guys look like the perfect American family. What great memories you will all have from this trip. Wish I could have been there.
Love you,
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