Ok....so this is going to be a massive post. I just got back from an awesome holiday with Margie and Wes in London and even though I took my laptop with me, I didn't update while I was there... Every day was action packed! I have to thank Margie and wes for putting together an awesome itinerary....It if were up to me we probably would've spent 10 days doing a London pub crawl (even though we did this as well!)
I arrived on Thursday 25th Aug. It was a hellish trip. I decided to save money on the ticket and took the cheap option which left from New Jersey and arrived in Bristol (about a 2hr train ride from London). Of course I didn't get any sleep on the plane and when I finally arrived in London, Wes was waiting for me at the wring station. So, an hour later when we finally met up we headed straight for the pub! Not long after....I crashed. So after a quick nap I headed off with Wes to meet Margie after work and we did a bit of a pub crawl home. The following night we went into Soho and saw Les Miserables! Actually the third time I've seen it (Washington DC, Sydney, London) and it was awesome. Margie was bawling the whole way through. We literally had the worst seats in the house, but it was a great night.
The next day we went to the Notting Hill carnival. It was amazing. Literally over a million people dancing and drinking in the streets of Notting Hill. We spent the whole day wondering around, eating and drinking. The perfect day! Later on that night we met up with Jodie (Aussie friend of Margie's) and found an awesome bar/restaurant in Notting Hill and danced the night away!
Monday was my birthday! And another great day. The weather was amazing the whole time I was there! Would you believe that the only day it was really overcast was the day I left! So as it was my birthday, I called the shots and took the crew to the Tate Modern. Spent a bit of time there and also saw the "Globe" theatre which is right next door.
Next day was the "Big Bus Tour" which was an open top, double-deck bus that you can get on and off as often as you like and see all the sights. Another perfect day and we did all the major touristy things around town from the London Tower, Tower Bridge down to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.
We finally got out of the city the next day and went to Stone Henge.
We left London early in the morning and went straight to Stone Henge. It was great to see it in person. Then off to Bath which is absolutely amazing! Lunch was at some pub which had been there for over 700 years! (The food tasted like it had been there that long as well, but it was a nice location). Then it was off to Stratford Upon Avon to see the birthplace and home of William Shakespeare along with Chamagne and strawberry scones (the highlight for me and Margie).
Next day was around London again and after wondering around the city, we decided to get on the "London Eye" for the most impressive view around.
That night we met up with Wes's friend Fin and had dinner and went to a pub called "The Porterhouse". It was a miracle we didn't get kicked out, suffice to say that we all had a great time and were the last to leave. The next day was hell as we had another all day bus tour and we very nearly pulled the pin and slept in. Fortunately we didn't as it was another beautiful day. We went to Leeds castle, Cantebury and Dover.
Saturday night was Margie and Wes's engagement party, which was a bit of an Aussie fest. There was about 12 of us for dinner at the Butchers Hook in Fulham, and we then went off to a local club for the rest of the night. Yet another great night! The last day was spent just hanging out together and talking about how much we all miss each other and our families back home. Oddly enough, I even missed New York. I've really come to love it over here. Of course I would love to get a job soon, but I'm sure it will all work out.
There's about a million things I missed out on putting in this post as I'm sure no one will read it. But if you want to know more about the trip, check out Margie and Wes's blog at www.wesnmarg.blogspot.com there's a link on my front page. Wes has been far more committed to this cause and posted almost every day I was over there!
