It’s awfully British here!

We last left our young heroines stranded on the floor of the Toronto airport complaining that their 8:40 flight had been delayed until 10pm. Little did they know, that this was only the beginning…next came the delay to 11:45, closely followed by a delay to 12:15. But alas, our fair maidens did finally depart on their voyage at about 1am.

The flight was good, although it’s not always the easiest to sleep on an airplane. At long last we reach London at about 12:30 London time. Then, we are proud to say, we managed to navigate the most extensive underground network in the world to get to our hostel (and that included 2 line changes!)

“I can see how Mr. Weasley got confused!” -Justine on getting through the tube turnstiles

Our hostel is called The Walrus Waterloo and no, it is not underground (Lex!).

In fact, check out the view from our window…

Yes, that is Big Ben…jealous? We’re in a 6 bed dorm this time, with 3 bunk beds. Kristin totally took the top bunk.

Today was all about getting into the groove of things. We really just wandered the streets of London trying to take it all in and let it sink in that we are really actually here! We pretty much walked the whole main tourist area, catching our first peek of Buchingham Palace, Big Ben & the Parliament Buildings and Westminster Abbey. Wonderfully, but totally by accident, we did the whole loop of St. James Park. It was lovely & magical. Speaking of magical, we also did a mini Harry Potter tour, seeing the place that inspired Diagonal Alley & walking the arcade where Herminone says ” Harry we forgot your birthday!” in HP&DHpt1. Then we had supper in an old crypt. Literally, there were gravestones in the floor.

Random observation of the day: London has a lot of Starbucks, McDonalds, buses (all red and most double-deckered) and tall monuments with statues of important men on them.

Highlights of the day:
1. Walking across Westminster Bridge for the first time from our hostel on the south bank. Big Ben was looming all mighty & golden. The parliament Buildings on one side. The London Eye on the other. Totally surreal. Totally unforgettable.

2. Right now, sitting on the steps writing this blog post in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

We’re obsessed with Trafalgar Square…and not just with saying it, but go ahead and give it a try: Tra-ff-Algear…yes that’s t-r-f…what other word starts like that??? Anyway, right in front of us is a huge monument. Kristin calls it “the big tall thing with the statue of the guy on top in the middle of Trafalgar Square”. Justine calls it “the Nelson Monument honoring Viscount Nelson who was Admiral of the British Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar”.

That’s all for tonight. We’re going to take one more walk around the fountains before we head back for a much needed sleep.

Love, Luck & London,
J&K