Europe: the first 4 days

First stop after the airport: Hampton Court. We parked the car and walked around the streets as we made our way to Hampton Court Palace. After a few streets, I saw a red post box, and I just had to hug it. I'm HOME!!!

The promenade up to Hampton Court Palace, the most fascinating and diverse castle in England.The audio tour was excellent. I highly recommend this castle to anyone who visit the London area. 

 Austin in the Base Court of Hampton Court Palace

 Walking to the Underground Station on our way in to London (p.s. We have it on good authority that Colin Firth lives on this street.... #20 to be exact. Lovely house).

  A British phone booth. Many of them are no longer in service, but the city officials haven't removed them yet... and honestly, how could they? They're so...British!!

 Riding a double-decker bus around London. The Underground is great, but it's fun to travel above the ground to see a lay-out of the land.

 Regent Street leading to Picadilly Circus

 The O2 in Eastern London

 Riding the Emirates Airline cable car across the Thames River

 The Tower Bridge

 The Tower Bridge again

 This sign made us laugh. Dunno why, we just had a good giggle over it. Maybe cuz we are terrified of driving in Britain.

A view of the Tower Bridge from the South Bank of the Thames River

Raclette: a Swiss dish comprised of melted cheese (we're not talking Kraft Singles here, people), potatoes, and pickles. Is it delicious? Oh yes. That big yellow thing you see there is a wheel of cheese (this particular flavor is Ogleshield). The top layer is melted under a grill and then poured onto a plate of potatoes and pickles.

Enjoying the Raclette in Borough Market

A view of Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster from the South Bank

Are we the luckiest people alive? Yes we are! It seems like every few minutes, one of us will stop the other and say, "Hey, we're in England!!"

 Westminster Palace and Big Ben

 Big Ben and the London Eye

 Westminster Abbey, the traditional site of coronations and royal weddings for centuries

I love the Tube

 The Church just barely launched its "I'm A Mormon" campaign in London, and we saw billboards in the Underground and on the buses EVERY WHERE! It was so exciting to see.

 More awesome iconic London Underground plaques

 Kings Cross train station

Platform 9 3/4... had to do it!

 St. Pancras Station, the most exquisitely beautiful train station in the world.

We are dead tired. Five hours of sleep over the course of 48 hours will do that to you.

 Our rental car. It has a manual transmission.... you'd think that shifting with your left hand would come naturally to a "leftie" like myself, but it doesn't. In case you were wondering, it takes a LOT of concentration to navigate tiny British roads, operate a manual transmission, follow the instructions of our GPS, stay on the correct side of the road, and not die... all at the same time!!

 The visitor's center at Hyde Park Chapel. My sister served her mission in London, so it was fun to imagine her here. The chapel itself was recently remodeled and now serves as a full-time visitors center complete with a mini theater, interactive learning monitors, statues, artwork, etc. 

 A beautiful little street in Littlethorpe, where Austin's cousin and his family live.

Austin's cousin's wife, Angela, and their daughter Genevieve.

 Genevieve and Victoria.... the sweetest Ameri/Brit girls I've ever met.

 My little sister, Kimberly, helped me find a map of Police Boxes in England (there are only half a dozen or so left). It just so happened that there was one just ten minutes away from one of the towns we visited (Wetherby, Yorkshire). We had to stop by to take a photo. I am a recently converted fan of Dr. Who (thanks, Kim), so I was tickled to find a fake TARDIS. 

(Note: this Police Box is in fact a replica. It's located out front of a police academy).

Stay tuned for more!