I just spent an amazing 10 days in London with my husband. We left the kids at home and while he worked during the day, I had lots of quality alone time for sightseeing.
Here are my 5 favorite places:
1. Westminster Abbey
This beautiful structure held most of the British monarchs’ coronations, the funeral of the much loved Lady Diana, and years later the wedding of her eldest son, William, to his lovely wife, Kate. There are memorials, graves, and small chapels throughout Westminster Abbey. I even had the opportunity to watch a communion service.
After my tour of this incredible church building, I went across the street and parked under a tree to write for a while. It was so inspiring to have this view while I worked on a devotional for emotional freedom I’m creating for my subscribers. I hope to finish it in the next couple of weeks. If you are already a subscriber, I will make sure you get a copy.
2. Westminster Cathedral
This is a place we stumbled upon after eating at my husband’s favorite restaurant. It’s surrounded by new, modern buildings, which really makes it’s old, charming beauty stand out.
We were able to ride an elevator to the top of the tower. It is the most amazing view. There are 4 lookout points to see London from every angle.
Of course, selfies were a must…
3. British Museum
This museum is packed full of interesting history. The picture does not do the building justice. It shows less than a third of the front of this gigantic museum.
There are many paths you can take to walk through history here. I bought a book in the museum gift shop which focused on the Bible. I highly recommend it.
4. Tower of London
The only day it rained on my trip was when we visited the Tower of London. It really added to the drama of this attraction. This has been many things over the years, including a royal palace, prison, and home of the Crown Jewels. We were able to tour the buildings, see the exquisite, over-the-top Crown Jewels, and stand where Queen Anne Boleyn and many others were beheaded.
5. Hyde Park
I took a breathtaking Prayer Walk in this infamous park. There are more pictures in the post I wrote about that memorable afternoon last week.
There are so many other amazing places I was blessed to see in London- Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Abbey Road, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus,… Not to mention all the sites I didn’t have time to get to, definitely not due to a lack of trying. I walked 7-9 miles a day, tracked by my nifty Up Wristband.
If you ever have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend a visit to London. It is filled with extraordinary beauty and history…
*Linked with The High Calling’s Best Vacation Stories.
Candace
Love the post!! So happy you had a chance to get away and also, see some amazing historical sites. Looks like you both had a a great time! I’ve never been to london….so this was even more fun for me!!
Grea pics…And I look forward to the devotional!
Candace, can I ask for your prayers please? A personal intention …….it would mean a great deal to me. Thank you.
Enjoy the summer, friend and I’ll “see” you online!
xoxoxox
I’m praying for you, my friend! I hope everything is ok with you and your precious family. London was amazing. I’m glad you could visit it for your first time here with me :). It’s always great to see you! XO!
Aw, thanks! I appreciate your prayers, girlfriend….
Take care!
xoxoxo
This sounds like a wonderful trip. I am happy for you.
Thanks, Susie! It really was the perfect vacation and much needed :). We will have to get together so I can tell you all about it and meet that adorable granddaughter of yours.
Thanks for taking me on a tour of London with you! I’d love to see it in person. I enjoyed my visit here from the High Calling link up.
I hope you can one day see it in person, Elizabeth. The pictures don’t do it justice. Thanks for visiting and touring London with me ;).
Sigh … This looks magical.
I would love to return to London. I went when I was 20 years old, over Christmas break, with a college friend who was studying overseas. But I know I would see things so differently, through a more mature set of eyes.
So glad you linked your story with us at The High Calling, Candace. Hope to see you around there from time to time. We have linkups with writing prompts every other week.
My last trip there I was around 23 years old. It really is different through “mature” eyes :). I’m so glad to be led to The High Calling. It is a wonderful place and I will definitely be back.
Oh wow!!! What a beautiful trip!!! I hope to one day take a European vacation, but my girls want to tag along, which means the whole Fab 5 will be there 🙂
XOXO
Thanks, Mrs. AOK! There are a lot of things to do with kids there. I was missing mine at moments. I must admit though, it was pretty awesome to have so much free time alone :). I hope to be able to go as a family some day.
LOVE this!! I really do want to visit London one of these days! Thanks for sharing your pics!
Oh yea…I love the selfie, too! 🙂
Thanks, Kim! I hope you get a chance to go some day. It really is a fantastic place. We took selfies everywhere- the palace, Brighton Beach… :). It was hard to choose what to include in this post with out making it huge!
How fun! It looks like you had a wonderful time away. What a blessing to be able to travel with your husband and without kids for a few days. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
It was such a blessing on so many levels, Crystal! I missed my kids, but it was really nice to get away as a couple. My alone time was pretty awesome too :).
Hi! I saw your link over on A Little R&R. I just got to go to London for the first time about a month ago and loved it too!!!! Westminster Abbey was my favorite place! Those soaring columns… the tombs of Elizabeth I and Mary I and so many others… words just cannot do it justice! The British Museum was definitely amazing as well. I’d go back to London in a heartbeat. Enjoyed your post!
I can’t believe how much I loved it, Jamie! I really want to go back as well. Westminster Abbey was incredible. I was thrilled to find my little spot across the street to write. What a view! Thanks so much for visiting!
I’m sooooo jealous of your time in London. I studied abroad in England for a semester and, next to marrying my husband and having my two daughters, it was easily the best time of my life. The British Museum is a treasure, and I still remember the loveliness of Hyde Park. Looks like you had a great trip! 🙂
It was wonderful, Kristin! How awesome it must have been to study there for a semester. That would be an experience of a lifetime. My sister studied in Paris for a semester. I was always so jealous :). Hyde Park is beautiful and definitely a must see place in London.
Candace, this looks incredible! I would love to go to London one day, thanks for the tips on some wonderful sites to see! 🙂
This post could have been incredibly long, Kendra! There are so many places to see there. I really hope you get over there someday!
sounds like a wonderful trip (and great top 5s)! 🙂
Thanks, Roaen! It was really hard to narrow the list down to 5. There are easily 20 or more must see places in London :).
What a great trip, Candace! I would love to go to England some day. I am a huge fan of British literature, so there would be a lot of literary excursions for me! Thanks for sharing your story.
You would have so many interesting places to visit, Charity! Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey is the first must-see spot that comes to my mind. I’m sure there are many top 5 lists focused solely on the topic of British literature. I would have liked to look more into that if I had more time. Ten days just isn’t long enough :).
My mom is a true Anglophile and she wanted me to love London so much, but when we visited in 1993, we got off the bus after taking the ferry over from France and our bag was promptly stolen–tossed out by the driver from the under-storage area and snatched by a thief before we could get off the bus from the back seats. It was so frustrating–we didn’t lose anything too terribly valuable, but we felt violated from the first moment we arrived. It made it hard to relax and enjoy our short visit, though we did a double-decker bus tour, then visited the Tower and took a ride on the Thames and a few other stops. We didn’t have time for much, so perhaps we’ll return someday. I’ll keep close tabs on my bag, though. 🙂
What a terrible welcoming, Ann! I’m so sorry to hear of your experience. I can definitely understand the violated feelings you dealt with. Hopefully you can go back some day for a safer and more relaxing visit!