ATypical Life: United Kingdom

Thanks to the stellar UK rail Reggie and I were able to take full advantage of our week in England by traveling outside of London. Though it was hard to wave good bye to London even for one day, I am ecstatic that we took time out of Big Ben's Casa to explore the lovely city of Bath, as well as Stonehenge and an older-than-you-can-believe village called Lacock.

Two hundred years ago Bath was the ultra-popular Hollywood of Britain. This creamy, one-shade city has more protected historic buildings per capita than any other town in England. This entire city is built from warm-tone limestone called, "Bath stone" and it's stately, Georgian style gives it a high-class, museum feel. Word around the campfire is that the town is often banned from entering the "Britain in Bloom" contest to give other cities a fighting chance.

Bath is famous for it's mineral hot springs. Reggie and I decided to get our sightseeing out of the way before turning to the uber-relaxing spa treatment that these baths always offer.

Though Bath is gorgeous, it gets a 'Needs Improvement' in the creativity department. After awhile, things all start to look the same, as I'm sure you can see.

"The Original Bath Power Salad." This surprising concoction of aged feta, sprouts, garbanzo beans, nuts, seeds, avocado, and EVOO was beyond scrumptious. I shrieked upon reading it on the menu on the door and Reggie kindly gave in, expecting he would never find something on the menu that would satisfy his hunger pains. Much to his surprise, his organic burger with chipotle mustard and handcut fries did the trick. Phew!

We finished lunch and, like always seems to happen, we had to run to our next reservation. Since we were only thirty minutes from Stonehenge we couldn't pass up the opportunity to check out the crazy rocks. We joined a group of twenty in a narrow bus (to fit on narrow streets, of course) and caught up on some Adele-listening as our group made it's way to Stonehenge.

Archaeologists believe that this iconic, prehistoric monument was erected in 2500 BC. Most recently, theory says that Stonehenge was used as a burial ground from the beginning. This world-famous creation was produced by a group that left no written records, leaving many questions up for debate.

Surrounded only by sheep, country roads, and millions of visitors each year, Stonehenge was a short, "what you see is what you get" kind of experience that we were happy to check off our list.

Back in our cozy (and by cozy I mean shoulder-to-shoulder, cramped as all get out) Mad Max bus, we headed to Lacock Village. A village too cute--and too old--to describe. Our tour guide gave us a great walking tour/comedy show of the village of 194 residents where nothing new has been built for two hundred years. There are four pubs for those 194 residents, which, of course, puts their hobbies into perspective.

The Crooked House was built in 1172. Gulp.

Our tour guide/comedian (in the center with his hands up) was full of stories.

Does this place look familiar? Of course it does, you Harry Potter fans! This house, along with several other of Lacock's buildings and streets, was used for the filming of several of the Harry Potter movies.

This was built to keep the sheep out of the church. Hello?! Sheep discrimination?!

Though there's not much more than one big square to see, Lovable Lacock kept us all occupied for the two hours we where there. A quiet bus ride brought us back to Bath where we soaked in the mineral baths for three heavenly hours before shoving dinner down our throats and catching our train back to London. Hooray for trains and the way they continue to give us the chance to see all the nooks and crannies of this awesome continent.

There's a buzz in London that greets you as soon as you're inside. It's the voice that was born from the slow combination of rich tradition, high-fashion hipsters on parade, cultural diversity pushed to a whole new level, and, of course, the rumbling motor of the timeless double-decker buses.

London is unlike any other city I have been to. The city's extensive laundry list of sites and experiences is enough to put it in the top handful of Europe's best cities, but it's the dynamic vibe caused by the crashing together of old and new that gives London it's edge. Last month Reggie and I spent seven days in London. It only took to the halfway mark of our trip for me to be convinced that the rumors are true: everyone needs to see London. Day by day this city of luxurious high teas and world-class museums swiftly moved toward the top of my favorite cities list. By the end of our seven days London was at the top of that list and our visit now stands alone as my favorite trip to date.

The guidebooks give London more pages than just about all other cities. Lucky for us, because of this there are countless day-by-day plans and podcasts to follow so you don't find yourself at the end of your trip spinning around city center wondering how to get to the second stop on your list. As we tend to do when we are concerned about maximizing our time, Reggie and I followed our guidebook closely as we made our way through London.

These guides led us to iconic, must-sees:

Tower Bridge

Big Ben and Parliament

London Eye

Westminster Abbey

Easter service at Westminster Abbey

I never had myself pegged as a museum lover. Moving abroad is a great way to help you figure out what you're about, and our move to Hamburg has been a prime example of that. Even so, I am consistently surprised by my infatuation for these world class museums. Perhaps it is because I'm a teacher and teachers like that kind of thing, or perhaps it is because they are world-class museums. Like so many other museums that have put on a spectacular show, London's famous National Gallery, British Museum, and British Library are three show-stopping museums that now fill the top three spots in my list of favorites.

The National Gallery sits right at the top of Trafalgar Square. It houses more than 2,300 hundred paintings dating from the 13th century to 1900. Reggie and I spent some time with Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Renoir, and Monet during our long trip to this busy spot. I even learned a bit thanks to what may be the best audio guide in Europe. All this and no cost for admission. Wow.

The British Museum houses more than seven million objects originating from all continents. They work together (along with the Rick Steves' podcast we downloaded) to tell the story of human culture from the beginning to the present.

THE Rosetta Stone

Yup. He's real. Some hair is even intact.

The earliest forms of money looked much more like art than our current forms.

Though not TECHNICALLY a museum, Reggie and I browsed Harrod's Department Store with as much consideration to detail as we did the British Museum. Founded in 1834 and sold one year ago for $1.5 billion, Harrod's is a world-famous institution. Without a doubt, their motto of, "All things for all people, everywhere," is spot-on. This shopping mecca has everything from tea pots to original Picasso pieces to snow skis--and more. Luckily, we remembered to bring our wallets.

Scroll down to see the cost of this lonely rug, sitting rolled up on the floor.

That's right. And that's in British Pounds! In USD, that's about $68,280. BOOM!

Had she not been worth more than all of my current belongings, I may have taken her home with me.

Imagine that. Authentic Picasso pieces...for SALE.

High Tea at the Ritz is a quintessential British rite that serves up a a glimpse of life at the top. Having the opportunity to take part in this experience-no, this institution-isn't something I ever intended to do. But, when the Adele show we originally planned our trip around became a no-go I decided we needed a pick me up. And, when in London and seeking a glam experience, High Tea at the Ritz should be first on everyone's list. Nowhere is tea served with more reverence or flair than at the Ritz, the world icon that sets the bar for England's most sacrosanct tradition.

Veggie samwiches for me?! Yes, please!

This three-tiered stand held savory samwiches on the bottom, warm, soft scones and preserves in the middle, and Ritz confections at the top. Come for tea, leave stuffed. Who knew?

In at least one place on each treat you can find an R for Ritz.

Our brief one and a half hours of luxury are still vivid in my mind. In fact, at times I catch myself daydreaming about the Ritz's drool-worthy veggie sandwiches.

While I may be one of the only people in the world to say so, I LOVED the food in London. Granted, I took a modern approach to ordering because fish 'n chips isn't my cup of tea, but nevertheless I was doing the happy food dance quite often.

Pimm's is London's take on Sandgria.

Reg said these were the best he had in London. Yum.

For food shopping, the city offers countless top notch farmer's markets. We chose to experience the famous Burrough Market on Saturday morning. Pretty much, I never wanted to leave.

I sympathize with the man on the right. I was overwhelmed by the asparagus, too.

I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that as happy as I was to find Burrough Market, I was equally as happy to find this...

Home, Sweet Whole Foods.
I had read months ago that London had three Whole Foods locations. I've been waiting since then and was armed with a list upon entering my favorite food shop.

Well, mates, there you have it: a small taste of jolly good London--a city as dynamic as it is famous. Although I sure have tried, I know I haven't done a proper job of relaying to you the fab vibe this city exudes. You must take in the many pieces of London--the totally awesome and unruly fashion, the terms of royalty floating about, the fact that the city is a pincushion of must-sees, and the tireless collection of cultures--swallow them, and let them swirl around within to really feel the vibration. This shock factor without limit demands from Londoners a display of hip, unique attitudes and behavior, which intrigued me from the start. It is initially noticeable in the way no one looks alike: in fashion, skin color, or manner. This dynamic-ness is further displayed in the variety of things the city offers to fill your time. The endless theme of variety that Londoners continue to stretch to the max is in itself the producer of London's loud buzz. It is also what irrefutably makes London my favorite city in the world--so far.