European Journal July 4-5, 2010

We arrived in London's Heathrow Airport at around 10:20am, and were out of customs, with our luggage (all of it arrived!) an hour later. Bryan spotted our uniformed host almost immediately, but we're waiting for two other passengers arriving from a later flight.

We left Indianapolis arond 6:30pm on July 4th, for a short flight to Chicago.

We boarded our flight... and waited... and waited. Our 8:15pm departure became a 9:30pm departure. There was a mechanical problem and the paperwork took some time to complete. We were at the back of a huge (to me, anyway) plane. We lucked out, having an empty seat in our row. Bryan got to move to the aisle seat of our section, so neither of us had to sit next to anyone on our other side. We would have loved a window seat; the pilot said there was a great view of fireworks from the air!

I was pleasantly surprised with the on-flight (free!) entertainment. There were video games, movies, music, and tv shows. I played a game of tetris, while Bryan watched a movie. We had "dinner" at around 10:30pm. It was edible, if not a little tasty. A beef stew with mashed potatoes, a brownie, cheese and crackers, and a salad. There was a roll we each stowed away, "just in case," but never ate. After dinner, we settled in to go to bed. Breakfast was served around 9:30am London time (3:30am Indiana time). We deplaned at 10:20am local time.

Our uniformed host directed us to our bus, which took us to the Novotel London West. We registered for our room, and for an excursion to Windsor Palace for 1pm. We had just enough time to run up to the room to "freshen up." The room was modern, the only thing missing was washcloths, which we had packed. (It was recommended that we bring our own in our trip information.)

We took a coach to Windsor Castle with a very funny tour guide named "Owen." He gave a short tour of the Castle grounds up to the State Apartments, and then left us on our own. There was no photography allowed inside the Castle, which was a shame- it was simply glorious, and words aren't sufficient to describe the opulence and just how "over the top" everything wash. Every beam of the ceilings was ornate, and many ceilings had artwork on them. There were countless full suits of armor, and bayonets and other weapons on the walls. It was hard to believe that Queen Elizabeth lived here on the weekends! Our guide said she usually went to Windsor after lunch on Fridays, and returned to Buckingham after lunch on Mondays. We walked down to St. George's Cathedral after touring the State Apartments. Again, no photography was allowed inside. We saw some tombs, including a very non-descript tomb on the floor that King Henry VIII was buried in. We had some time for an ice cream cone at the entry to the Castle grounds, and then boarded our coach to go back to our hotel.

The square, white building in the distance is Eton College, where Princes William and Harry went to school.

St. George's Cathedral

The Queen's quarters... off limits to visitors, and monitored by guards.

Our hotel, Novotel, was very modern and had a little computer area in the lobby. After some emails to family, we asked the receptionist for suggestions for dinner. He suggested "The Swan," a traditional English pub a short walk from our hotel.

There was some confusion with where to sit, and where/how to order our beers. There was a bar downstairs, and a smaller bar with a dining room upstairs. We sat upstairs near a small window. Bryan got braised pork bellywith "mash and gravy", and I got fish and chips. The beer was room temperature. The service was great. We debated on getting dessert... "Eton Mess" was one choice... a play on Eton College. We walked back to our hotel, the effects of jet lag beginning to wear on us. We did a little laundry (hand washed in the sink), and went to bed.

It was a great first day in London, and also happened to mark one month of being married! I almost forgot to mention our dessert! After we left the swan, we walked to a little place called "Crepe Affaire" and ordered a dark chocolate crepe for "take away." It was quite tasty!