London Skyline
When it was announced that the Lions would be playing abroad in London there was no question whether we were going or not. We ended up booking a package that included our game tickets and hotel. The hotel we stayed at was the Doubletree Tower of London and it was very nice. Getting a cab from the airport to the hotel was an annoying process. You have to go to a counter to book and pay for it, then you wait for it to come. That night we didn’t do a whole lot. Just kind of walked around and got familiar with the Tube.
On our first full day, the first place we went was to Buckingham Palace. The place is so big and there are guards everywhere. On the way to the palace we saw the Saudi King driving by after his visit with the Queen so that was pretty exciting. After the palace we did some walking around taking pictures of lots of different things and went inside Westminster Abbey. Next, we took a tour of the Tower Bridge where we got to go underneath and up top. That evening we went to a comedy show at The 99 Club. The show was alright but there were some cultural things we did not pick up on.
Big Ben
The next day we headed to the London Zoo which was pretty nice and very big. We did some more walking around and in the evening we went to a Medieval Banquet. The show was alright. We got to dress up in costumes and we tried pate for the first time which was gross. The workers were pretty entertaining each doing their own different act. There was a lot of singing, too.
Our next day we booked a day trip to Windsor Castle which is the oldest castle in the world and an alternate residence for the royals. We then travelled to the Stonehenge. It was pretty awesome to see such a mysterious and ancient site. There weren’t many people there either which made it better. At certain times of the year
Stonehenge
they actually allow a small number of people to go into the Stonehenge. We unfortunately were not there during one of them. We also learned about burial mounds where they would pile people up and bury them. You can see mounds all over. One thing that struck me is that the Stonehenge is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by fields. After the Stonehenge, we went to a 14th century old Pub in Bath for lunch and then headed back to the hotel.
Tower of London
The next day we went to the Tower of London. We made sure to get there first thing in the morning because by the time we were leaving it was very packed and lines were very long to get in and to see some of the buildings that were inside. We learned about how in the 1400’s King Edward IV died and his two little boys went missing. The King’s greedy brother was thought to have killed them so he would be the King. Then when construction on the tower was being performed in the 1600’s they ended up finding the bones of the boys in a box. Very creepy to be in that area. We also got to see the crown jewels which was awesome. It makes you wonder why anyone really needs jewels like that. Not so awesome was the torture chamber. It’s a really eerie feeling to be in there. After the tower we went to the London Aquarium which was okay. It was very
Granary Square Fountains
busy so not very enjoyable. After that, we went to the London Dungeon. At the end they have a ride that drops you straight down and takes your photo. Of course, I did not want to buy the photo but thought it was hilarious because Kyle looks bored as hell and I’m screaming my head off. I turned my flash off and took a photo of it. I got caught… So we left and rode the London Eye at night. It was pretty cool to see the city up from so high and take pictures but the cabins are filled with many other people who like to get in the way and it becomes annoying. Lastly, we headed to Granary Square. I had heard about these dancing fountains and wanted to see them. This was our second attempt to find them actually because I took us to the wrong fountain the first time. The fountains were awesome. They are flush with the ground so you could walk through them if you wanted. The lights change and the water does different dances. I wished we could install them at home ourselves.
Wembley Arena
Our last day was Sunday and the day of the NFL game. There were TONS of people. Wembley Area was pretty cool and the game was very exciting. Plus the Lions won! We had a good laugh because the fans basically cheered for everything. They really didn’t care for one team other the other and were genuinely just excited about the NFL International series. After the game we decided to go on a Jack the Ripper Tour. I didn’t really know much about the story but the tour was so interesting. I couldn’t stop asking questions and the guy told me he liked my enthusiasm. He was very knowledgeable and I would definitely suggest a tour with them.
In the end our trip to London was pretty good. We got to do a lot of different stuff and added a bunch of new experiences to our list. My favorite things were the Stonehenge, the dancing fountains and the Jack the Ripper Tour. Cheers mate!
