We debated whether or not to go into the city because the cost and hour an a half drive wasn't very appealing. But ultimately we both decided we couldn't be so close to the city and not make a trip in, so we got up today and uber'ed our way to London. We decided to do a double decker tour bus around the city to see all of the major locations that we felt we should see. We were dropped off at Marble Arch which is where the tour started and then stayed on the bus the entire almost three hour tour. It was very cool to see all the major monuments and hear a lot about the Royal Family. I have always been fascinated by this so hearing the stories were quite cool.
Also, The Queen returned home today so roads leading to the Palace were completely shut down which led to major traffic in London. Also the horses were practicing for the Queen's birthday celebration this weekend and we were very luck to see this as our tour bus passed them.
After the bus tour, we decided to hop off to get some lunch. This tour had a live tour guide and she had encouraged us to go to the Hard Rock Cafe because not only is it the original but it was the 46th anniversary of the opening so all of the prices were what they would in 1971. It was 65 pence for a burger which is about 83 cents. So we couldn't pass it up even though we had already been to a Hard Rock Cafe in Amsterdam.
After this, we hopped back on the bus to make a couple more stops to get back to our original location and go to a convenience store to get drinks for the evening and dinner. We couldn't find anything except cans of soup and the equivalent of ramen noodles so that is what we got. We knew once we got back to our place in Studham, we wouldn't be able to find a way to go get food unless we wanted to walk 3 miles.
We made our hour and a half uber treck back to our place (in a record 55 minutes considering our uber driver drove upwards of 100 miles per hour, no joke!) and when we arrived Eve and David were waiting for us. We arrived back right at 7 and they asked us if we would like to have a garden barbecue with them. We were both so excited because we had planned on having wine in the garden with them but never imagined they would welcome us to dinner. They cooked burgers, chicken and brats and we sat out in the garden for two hours talking to them and drinking wine.
They were genuinely interested in our lives, how we made it here, America, our travels, academics, future plans and so much more. They also told us stories of their travels, their son, how they met... it was so much fun to listen to them and everything they had to say. They were amazed by Mack and I and our desire to travel so young and encouraged us to follow our dreams. At the end, they told us they have only invited people staying in their annex to dinner one other time, and it was a 70 year old couple from Australia. They told us they felt as if they could take us under their wing because we were like their children. (so dang sweet) Mack and I both were just in awe of how welcoming they were to us who were complete strangers to them just 48 hours ago. Such amazing people with huge hearts.
And honestly while the heart of London was just okay, it was a place I was glad to see but I wouldn't necessarily care to go back... I would come back to Studham in a heartbeat just to stay with Eve and David. Like my Dad said when we were talking earlier today, sometimes the best part is the people and the relationships, not the buildings and locations. And this is so so true with David and Eve.
