Oh, the places Connor and Sam will go!: London

Day 1: June 4

We got on the tube from Heathrow and took it to Earls Court. Thankfully we were able to check into our hostel right when we got there at 11:30a.m. After brushing our teeth, we were off! (Even though we were exhausted!) We took the tube to Westminster and saw Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and many other sights. We walked along the River Thames and saw some of the beautiful bridges. After walking for a bit and looking at many menus, we sat down at a pizza restaurant. We enjoyed a lovely lunch!

Shortly after lunch, it started raining pretty hard on us. Very cold rain! London was quite chilly and rainy yesterday. Thankfully we have our rain jackets!

We went back to the hostel to grab some more layers. Then we decided to go look at Harrod's department store which was beautiful. Connor didn't like it as much. Haha! Then we sat down at a quaint dessert shop and had an afternoon treat. After we spent quite some time walking around Hyde Park which was like Central Park on steroids! The weather was beautiful while we were there, and we had a great time!

We went back to the hostel to figure where to go eat dinner. All the backpackers tend to gather in the kitchen so we sat down with them to plan out our next move. We have met people from Greece, France, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, etc. Finally we decided to go to a burger joint around the street. It was very good!

We planned out our day and hung out with travelers for an hour or two after dinner. But after 35 hours of being awake, it was definitely time for bed. Getting ready for bed was definitely one of the funniest times of our day. Remember we're staying in a hostel...at this particular hostel, we are sharing a room with two other boys, Henry from Australia and Manuel who snores from Brazil. Connor is my protector but I could totally take them (and they're nice!). We are most thankful that our loving mothers bought us cocoon sheets!! They were pretty much the only way we (definitely me) would sleep in the bed. I had a top bunk with no railing...the fact that I was so tired and terrified of somehow touching the mattress kept me from moving during the night and rolling off the bed.

Day 2: June 5

We woke up this morning feeling refreshed and like we could accomplish anything! Ate breakfast at the hostel and hit the road by 9:15 a.m. Took the tube to Trafalgar Square and walked all the way to Buckingham Palace. We sat at Buckingham Palace from 11-12 (which is where most of this was written!) to watch the changing of the guards ceremony. From 11:45-12, the guard "band" played a lot of cool James Bond music. The changing of the guards was a great display of British pageantry. Glad we went! The best spot to watch is from the front of the fountain (where we were)!

Walked through St. James' park, took the tube toward the British Museum, and went to lunch at a cafe. After lunch, we went to the British Museum. It was incredible! Then we walked to the British Library. The library holds many great works such as original Shakespeare, the Magna Carta, Darwin's notes on evolution, etc.

Walked through Kings Cross station since we were a block or two away. Saw platform 9 3/4 which has become a money making tourist trap but still neat. Then a much needed nap time at Regent's Park. Went down to Piccadilly Circus and Soho. Saw Chinatown. Decided to go back to a pub we saw earlier near Russell Square called Marquis Cornwallis. Had a good traditional English meal! Fish & chips with lots of cider. As well as some other tasty items! Then to a pub near our hostel!

Day 3: June 6

We walked a lot! Started the day off at Kensington Palace and walked to Notting Hill from there. After we walked around much of the neighborhood, we went to Covent Gardens. We loved it! Had lunch at a cool pizza place. After lunch, we had to go back to our hostel and check out. We had to change hostels because our first hostel didn't have room on Friday and Saturday. So we took our backpacks across town to Safe Stay hostel. SO MUCH NICER! We are super excited to be staying here tonight:) no cocoons for us!

After we checked in, we walked between London Bridge and the Tower Bridge for 3 hours. Had dinner and Pimm's at an outdoor free festival along the river. So neat!

Day 4: London

Walked through the HUGE portobello street market. It was fun seeing all the interesting items the vendors were selling. We ended up going back to Covent Gardens to see the "buskers" or street entertainers and have lunch. After lunch, we went to Greenwich to stand on the Prime Meridian. It was quite a hike up the hill but worth it! We treated ourselves to dessert and drinks afterwards! At night, we watched the England vs. Jamaica soccer game at a local pub. It was really fun!...until they delayed the game for lightning. So we called it a night.