Friday, November 13, 2009

London Bridge is Falling Down....Not Really!

I cannot believe I forgot to upload my favorite sites so I just had to add it. I usually put my descriptions above the pictures but it won't allow me on this top picture so they are below.


The Westminster Abbey, formally titled The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, is mainly Gothic, on the scale of a cathedral, is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs.



St. Stephen's Tower, although more commonly referred to as Big Ben is a clock tower. Big Ben is actually the massive bell inside the clock tower, which weighs more than 13 tons. The Houses of Parliament and the clock tower are among London's most iconic landmarks.



London Bridge is a bridge between the city of London and Southwark over the River Thames.



The Victorian Tower Bridge is now 100 years old. It was designed by Wolfe Berry and Horace Jones and completed in 1894. The middle of the bridge can be raised to permit large vessels to pass through. As you can see from the picture, it was rainng when we went there. The picture is actual and taken through a bus window and not enhanced.


Wow! This week really went fast, too fast! It's already Saturday? Oh well then, it's time to have fun. Let's show off our pretty pinks and let's go sightseeing.






Pink Saturday is brought to us by Beverly of http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/. Week after week after week, Beverly hosts this wonderful meme so join in on the fun and visit her. Take a look at all the pinks being displayed in Blogland.
We just arrived from London last Tuesday. I was so happy to see Whittard of Evelyn because I love their instant tea. In addition to that, they have many neat serving items. I spotted these pink egg cups set and they were on sale. Yipee! Aren't they cute? I love how the egg cup is on a pedestal. I borrowed my amber egg so you have an idea of how it looks with an egg. The spoon is also very cute. I bought 3, keeping 2 and I will include the 3rd one to my 200th post giveaway. It is fast approaching so watch out for it.
Well, of course it is also Sightseeing Saturday and since we just came from London, I will tell you about our trip while it is still very fresh in my mind. Thanks to Laurie of http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/ for her mosaic tutorial. This post really benefited from it.
We stayed at Marriott's Grosvenor Hotel and the pictures below are its sorroundings. Using rewards accumulated from past travels allowed us to stay there for 5 days for free. The roof top topiary garden is what you see when you look out from our hotel room window. We were on the third floor. The church is Ukranian Catholic. We woke up so late on Sunday (jetlag) so we weren't able to attend mass at St. Paul's Cathedral. We passed by this church so we went in. The service is not the same as a Roman Catholic service so we did not stay long.


We walked around the hotel a lot. I just love all the beautiful red brick buildings with wrought iron balconies. I especially like the hanging flower boxes.
We took a "Hop Off, Hop On" bus tour for 2 days but did not really go down to any site cause we wanted to see all of them in 2 days

Do you see the guards all lined up at Buckingham Palace?
I labeled the pictures but I cannot remember what the building with arched entries is.Trafalgar Square is where you can find the tall monument of Lord Nelson. The area looks magnificent and none of these pictures do it any justice.

The ferris wheel is well known as London Eye. It is 443 ft tall and is the tallest ferris wheel in Europe.


The Marble Arch was built in 1828 as the chief entrance to Buckingham Palace, but when the Palace was extended in 1851, the Arch was moved to its current site as an entrance to Hyde Park. This was walking distance from the hotel and it is near the tour bus stop.



Next is the Tower of London. According to Wikipedia, the tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.





And I believe it is home for ghosts too, LOL.

Aaah! This is my favorite part of the trip....Shopping! The hotel we stayed is only a block away from Oxford St., where all the neat shops are. It was nicely decorated for Christmas.


The primary reason we went to England was to attend John's co worker's wedding in Manchester. We took the train to go to Manchester. It took about 2 hours. The bride and groom are both of Nigerian descent. The wedding ceremony was Christian but the reception was traditionally Nigerian. It was very interesting and very enjoyable to watch. Do you see John dancing with the groom's dad? LOL! Both bride and groom and the groom's parents are doctors.
We had to hitch a ride to go to the reception. We did not know that there weren't any taxi where the church was located. The groom's sister was kind enough to ask another guest to give us a ride. The one sitting next to John was the one who gave it and she offered to take us to the train station after the party too. Isn't that so nice of her? The woman wearing purple and yellow is the groom's mom.




Another interesting thing about their tradition is the party favor, actually favors. We received so many gifts, not only did they come from the bride and groom but relatives were distributing them too. We received flip flops, candies, soap, towel, t shirts, platters, a charm, keychain, etc. I joked and said that we should have brought an extra bag. And would you know that the next item we would receive were bags? LOL!When we got back to the hotel, I left a comment on my classmate's friend's blog about her picture which was taken in London. Next morning, I got an email from her asking me to call her. I did not know she lived in London. All the while, I thought she was just visiting when the pictures were taken. We set up a time to meet at Piccadilly Circus.




According to Wikipedia, Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly. In this context a circus, from the Latin word meaning a circle, is a circular open space at a street junction






The statue of Eros, a winged archer made out of aluminum is set in the middle of Piccadilly Circus. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of London. Originally known as the Shaftesbury Monument, it was unveiled in 1893 as a memorial to the Victorian philanthropist, Lord Shaftesbury. My new blogger friend took us to China town and we ate dimsum there. And then, she also took us to their condo. Meeting Cora was one of the highlights of our trip.
It was time to go back home last Tuesday and here I am relaxing while waiting to check in. I was excited because I was about to meet another blogger friend, Athella of http://athellag-ocdesigner.blogspot.com/ at New Orleans airport. You see, she has been visiting her stepmom in New Orleans and when she mentioned that she is flying back the same day we arrive, we made a plan to meet. And we did! She met me in the baggage claim area. We chatted and chatted and we were both so excited. Too bad she had to catch a flight so we only met very briefly but what a special moment!

You may link with Sightseeing Saturday by entering your permalink and name below. Please add the SS logo on your blog to spread the word.








Thank you all for coming and thanks to Beverly also for allowing us to participate in Pink Saturday. Have a nice weekend y'all!

33 comments:

The Quintessential Magpie said...

That looks like a fun time, Christine. I love going traveling with you!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Lady Katherine said...

The picture are beautiful! Such fun shopping in London. The wedding was great. How fun to get to meet friends! Now I love those candy stripes egg cups! So pretty! Glad you had such a great trip!

Grace said...

How pretty your Pink Saturday post was I love the fairy spoons! Than your London post was amazing I love all the old buildings and the Christmas decor! Great Post, Happy Pink Saturday Grace

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Christine, your post is beautiful. The photos are so pretty, and you did such a great job with the mosaics (thanks for the credit you gave me). What an interesting wedding that was, and how fun that the guests received so many gifts. I like that tradition, unless I'm the mother of the bride and have to buy all of those gifts! laurie

Salmagundi said...

What a fun trip - thanks for taking us along. It brought back lots of sweet memories of time spent in London. Have a great weekend. Sally

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Xinex, OMG what a wonderful post.
The pictures are so beautiful. I want to go to London! The wedding looks like it was fun. You always amaze me with your travels. Thank you so much for all the information that you provide. I love going on your tours.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Christine!

What a wonderful post! I've always wanted to see London and it was like being there looking at all your photos. You made wonderful mosaics! I'll try to remember come back tomorrow to link to your "Sightseeing Saturday" as my blog post for Pibk Saturday is about beautiful Punta Cana.

The pink egg cup is adorable!

Happy Pink Saturday!

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Oh my, Christine! What a fabulous vacation! And it looks like you and John had a blast at the wedding, too! And how fun to get to meet Athella! I hope you are relaxing in your backyard with a glass of wine after such a whirlwind trip!! Happy weekend...hugs...Debbie

Anonymous said...

I'm serious I am finding a way to fit in your luggage for the next trip!!

Looks like you and hubby had a great time. We have met several Nigerians in ministry and they are such a friendly and cheerful people!!

Debra said...

Christine! What a lovely time you all had! These pictures made me want to go to London too. And that wedding looks like it was just beautiful! I love the bright colorful colors!

SmilingSally said...

I'm fortunate enough to have been to London twice, and now you've helped me remember how wonderful it is. Thanks, Christine!

Kat said...

What a fun trip Christine! I'm always amazed at how much you can cram into a trip! If I ever travel abroad, I'm calling you for tips! Loved the pictures of London, and the wedding looked like it was alot of fun. Have a great weekend. Kathy

Linda (Nina's Nest) said...

Christine, I have never been to London, but your photos make me want to go! They are beaufiful and so interesting! Well done! The pink and white egg cups are pretty, too! Linda

Room Service ~ Decorating 101 said...

I've said it before and I will say it again,"You live the good life..." Thanks for visiting and hope all is well on your side of the mountain.

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Christine, what gorgeous pictures and such a wonderful trip. The wedding looks like it was such a great event. How fun to get to meet two fellow bloggers while on this trip. Such fun. Hugs, Marty

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a wonderful post! I thoroughly enjoyed the whirlwind tour of London. I hope you are having a wonderful Pink Saturday.

{Bellamere Cottage} said...

Hi Christine...

What an awesome post. I so enjoyed your little tour around London. Of all the places I'd love to visit, that's on the top of the list. Both of my grandparents came from England....Manchester to be exact! I'd love to see it, although I'm sure it probably looks NOTHING like it did then. They came to the US in the 20's.

Loved your little eggcups. How cute!

Wow, what an experience to attend that wedding. Don't the ladies all look so lovely? It looks like such a celebration. I've never been to a Nigerian wedding....it looks wonderful.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,
Spencer

Susan @ The Good Life! said...

My husband is from England and I have been wanting to go there. He won't take me, something to do with coming home broke!;D

Nancy said...

Oh, Christine, how fun that you were able to have such adventures and meet up with fellow bloggers. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Your egg cups are too cute!

Happy Pink Saturday! Be sure to stop by my blog to leave a comment for my gift certificate giveaway!

nannykim said...

wow!! So much interesting things on this post. Looks like you had a fantastic time!

http://spindlecottage.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

I love the pink dish ware! Thanks for the visit today!

Anonymous said...

Wow Christine,
How lucky you are to have been to London. I am green with envy. You sure did get some great pictures.

Unknown said...

Christine,
Your photos are awesome...what a great excuse to travel to London!

Wish someone would invite us to a wedding there. LOL

:) Diane

cotedetexas said...

Wow!! What an exciting trip!!!!!
you are so lucky to be able to travel all over like that.

thanks for your comment too!
Joni

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

looks like you had a great time in London.. welp, anyone would have feel the same! I miss London too.. especially the shopping part! hehehehe.. Miss the Oxford Street.. and the wedding looks unique & interesting too.. thanks for sharing your trip with us.. happy PS and have a good weekend!
xo
fitty

Char said...

Wow, that wedding looks great, and it looks like you are having such a great time. I love London and all it has to offer. Did you know the original London Bridge is now in AZ? It was bought and brought over here, put together exactly the way it was brick by brick. It's an interesting story to read about, Happy Pink Saturday girlfriend, Char

Blondie's Journal said...

I so enjoyed the pictures of London. I have never seen anything firsthand. The picture you took on the bridge is awesome. You should frame it. The rain makes everything shimmer!!

The wedding was very interesting, wouldn't you say? And what made John decide to have a dance with the groom's father? I will have to tease him about that!! You looked wonderful!!

How lucky you are to meet yet another blogger. I am starting to get envious!! I wanted to tell you that I received the magazines yesterday and thank you so much. Today is cold and gray and I am going to curl up by the fire and read!! I hope you get to relax too, Ms. Jetsetter!! ;-)

BTW, I left comments on the previous posts...

xoxo
Janie

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

Ah... so behind on blog reading! Thankyou for stopping by! I am supposed to be getting ready for work, but just had to stop and peek at some of your posts for now!

Lovely, lovely London :o) I love your photos of your trips! And what a wonderful wedding to be a part of, and being able to meet up with friends along the way.

Blessings & aloha!

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Girlfriend...

Well with my morning coffee in hand...I'm ready for my tour of London! Hehe! What a glorious way to wake up...so many regal sites!!! Girl, you looked like you had so much fun on this trip...I'm so happy for you! Ohh...and I bet attentding your friend's wedding was fabulous...I would have really enjoyed seeing and experiencing the Nigerian traditions as well! How fun!!!

Love all of your beautiful photos!!! You know...my favorite photo of you is when you were leaning up against the statue of Eros...you had that pretty white coat on! Love, love, LOVE that photo! You need to frame it!!! You're such a beautiful woman, my friend!!! Ohhh...and I would have loved shopping in London too! I love that first little tea shop and the pretty pink striped egg cups are sooo charming! I can't wait for you to celebrate your 200th post anniversary!!! Hmmm...crossin' my fingers that I might win one of those pretty egg cups...hehe!

Well Darlin'...thank you again for taking us on one of your fabulous and famous world tours...I thoroughly enjoyed myself!!!

Love ya,
Chari

PS...thanks so much for coming by and taking a peek at my faux fireplace...I enjoyed your sweet note, my friend!!!

Julio Muao said...

Hi Christine!

Great photos. It looks like you had a wonderful trip. Thank you for sharing the photos of London and the wedding. London is a great city. The last time I visited was in the summer of 2006 and saw the musical Lord Of The Rings which was by far the best stage spectacle I have ever seen. I would visit London in a heartbeat just to see it again. Thanks for sharing.

OCDesigner ~Athella said...

Hi Christine I just looked at all your beautiful pictures from London.
I don't know how you keep up with everything. The wedding pictures were fabulous too. How fun was that!!! I just decorated for a wedding on Saturday. Turned in to a way bigger job then I had planned for. Every time I do one I say I'm not gonna do another. Thanks for sharing your adventures. AG

Joyce said...

Thanks for taking me along to London. Since the dollar is not the best in Europe I am not sure when I will get to London again but I have been there 3 times and I find it so interesting. What an interesting wedding and how wonderful that you were able to attend. I like the idea of getting gifts as a guest too:)
Joyce

Connie said...

Hi Christine, Just beautiful pictures of London. I do agree, they look great in a collage. Good job.
Is it always good to be home in your own bed ?
Sometimes I wake up and wonder where Christine is today, lol. So nice you can take the time to visit friends
and take in the sights, too.
Your backyard looks so nice. Clean pool -- could anyone ask for more. You did a fantastic job on your yard. Lots of work but oh so worth it, I'm sure.
Glad you are back.....

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