London: I bless the rains

"A whole week in London," they said, "that's a long time," they said. While not the most budget-friendly travel destination, we concluded that one week in London is definitely not a long time. With an endless amount of museums to visit, historic sites to see, shows to enjoy, and foods to sample, London is a city one could go back to time and time again and have a different itinerary each visit. We thoroughly enjoyed London's charm and diversity.  

Did you know that London's iconic red telephone booths are no longer used as public payphones, but rather offer WiFi? 

Our week in London included: 

• Visiting the British Museum where we saw historical artifacts from around the world including the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies and their mummified cats,
• Touring Stamford Bridge Stadium, home to the Chelsea Football Club,
• Stopping at King's Cross Station to get our photos taken at Platform 9 3/4,
• Learning about Great Britain's involvement in World War I at the Imperial War Museum,
• Happening upon Lord Mayor's Show, which is a yearly tradition spanning back over 8 centuries representing the Lord Mayor's journey from the City of London to the City of Westminster to pledge allegiance to the Monarch (think Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade, London style),
• Seeing numerous tributes to Great Britain's veterans as this past Sunday marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, 
• Eating at a number of different food carts, including one in the Christmas market on London's south bank (yes, the city is already in full Christmas mode and it was only the first week of November),
• Enjoying the West End production of Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre, topping our favorite moments list from the week,
• "Seeing" the Prime Meridian at Greenwich Park, 
• Watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and being entertained by the royal bands as they played "Africa" by Toto, "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran, and "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon,
• Walking through Hyde Park and being entertained by the swans at the pond in front of Kensington Palace,
• Checking out the views from the 10th floor observation deck at the Tate Modern Art Museum.

There were some activities that we did not do, such as touring Westminster Abbey, visiting the Tower of London, and going to watch a Chelsea soccer game. Despite our efforts in procuring game tickets, we were unsuccessful for the fact that we were not willing to pay 195 pounds per person to watch Chelsea vs. Everton (and the game ended in a 0-0 tie, so we don't regret our decision). We managed to find budget-friendly options throughout the week, starting by taking the train from the airport to the city center which then allowed us 2-for-1 entry at a variety of tourist attractions. It also helped that the museums we visited did not charge an entrance fee, as is common with the majority of museums in London. Buying 7-day travel cards to use on the underground helped us to affordably move around the city. We lucked out with decent weather for the week, enjoying blue skies in between occasional rain showers. Overall, we had a lovely week in London. 

Click here to see more of our photos from London