Along the way of my life, I've added many things to my to-do list, but visiting England has been at the top of every list since I can remember. I've always had a fascination with this place, its history, its royalty, its television... I think it started with watching Upstairs, Downstairs when I was a kid. I have a horrible memory, but I do remember watching that show and being fascinated with it. Then as a young teen, I always loved watching and reading about the royals, b/c, really, who hasn't ever wanted to be a Queen?
My fascination grew when I discovered British pop stars Take That! I don't remember how it started, but all I know is that my highschool friend Susan and I were insane over them, and often made plans to move to England, marry our favourite, and live happily ever after! Her and I had a falling out in highschool and lost touch, but wherever she is, I'm sure her ears are burning b/c in planning this trip I thought a lot about her.
In highschool, for grade 10 English class, we watched Anne of the Thousand Days. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn became my favourite King and Queen, and Anne's costumes became the reason I then decided to go into Fashion Design. Obviously that didn't turn out as planned, I became a Tax Collector instead, which, I like to think, is still very royally-inspired!
Sometime after that I watched Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I and then she became my favourite Queen (and still is) and her costumes fascinated me even more!
I could go on a and on about such references and how much they fascinate me, but on to my trip!
Last year I decided that it was the time to just do it and began planning. I needed lots of time to plan and save up for. In February I finally booked my plane tickets! Ideally, I was going to go all out and fly first class on British Airways but there wasn't enough saving to pay for that! It was going to cost me a ridiculous amount of money. Money that I would rather keep and use for my second trip to England, b/c I quickly realized I wasn't going to be able to see and do everything I wanted to.
I settled on 10 days in London and made sure to get in at least the major sites in London, with a trip to Stonehenge, Windsor, and Bath. I've also booked a tour of the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio.
We flew in with Air Canada, and I don't know why everyone complains about them, but they were excellent! From the lady that checked us in, to the staff in the plane, to the food, to the amenities, everything was really good.
I booked a row of three seats for Mario and I, it was cheaper than booking two in first class. I physically needed the seating room, and I don't regret paying a bit more for an extra seat. We both had some extra room, and it was worth every penny!
We arrived at Heathrow early in the morning. Mario with his EU passport made it through the border check-in within a few minutes, I, with my Canadian passport, had to wait about 30 minutes. Note TO Self: renew my EU passport!
Out of the airport, we took the underground to the hotel. Took us about 45 minutes, which wasn't too bad, but with luggage, it's a pain. At the hotel, our room wasn't ready yet, so we sat for a coffee to wait. Once in our room, we laid down and took a quick nap. Neither of us was able to sleep on the plane.
On the itinerary for the first day was Abbey Road and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. We didn't make it to Abbey Road, but the Sherlock museum was very interesting. Lot's of cool things to see inside 221b Baker Street!
We then went in search for the Sherlock Holmes statue, which was close by.
Afterwards, we bought a couple of souvenirs and went for dinner at the Sherlock Holmes pub nearby. Mario had the Fish & Chips with a 1/2 pint and I had the Chicken and Mushroom pie with the most delicious passion fruit and apple cider!
We headed back to the hotel, forgetting about Abbey Road, but it is close by so we will get to it on Saturday. At the hotel, we took showers and fell asleep instantly. I woke up to write this and to set the alarm for tomorrow morning because we have to leave very early, 6:30am early, for the Stonehenge, Windsor, Bath tour!
What a great first day! It's 11:42pm local time. The street is now pretty quiet. I see a double-decker bus in the distance. Mario is asleep, and I'm pinching myself to make sure I'm not hallucinating. I'm in England!
Cheerio, friends!
