London 1.14.16 - 1.18.16
About a year ago, thanks to Groupon, my mom and I embarked on the ultimate girl's trip: London!
We found an amazing deal: $599/person for 4 days, airfare, hotel, and transportation to and from the airport ALL included (plus breakfast at the hotel every morning!)
Let me tell you something about my mom: she is not an impulsive person. At. All. She takes FOREVER to make a big decision. I remember being young and going to open houses with my parents, and we finally moved into a new home after like 3 years of house hunting. I also remember my parents saying they needed a new car. They went out car shopping one day...and didn't get a new car until about 8 months later. Oh let's not forget the time she said our family was moving to Colorado...in 1999. It's 2017 and she's still in Illinois. (sorry about all the harsh truth bombs, momma.)
So when I called my mom to tell her about this sweet deal, I was 98% positive the trip wasn't going to happen. The deal would be gone by the time she made up her mind!! But I had 2% hope left inside of me that she just might say "let's go."
A few hours after that pleading phone call, "mom" shows up calling on my phone, and I'm pretty sure I answered it on the first ring. As I said "hello?" with a hopeful excitement in my voice (yet fully anticipating that she wasn't even going to address the groupon deal), she said "Well, I just did the most impulsive thing in my life. Are you ready to go to LONDON, BABY?" (Oh yeah, whenever we refer to London, we say "London, baby" like Joey on Friends. It's our weird little thing.)
So we were booked! London, baby! In January! (brrr...?)
We actually didn't take many pictures this trip. We were constantly on our feet, trying to act like the "locals" as much as possible. But here are some highlights from one of the coolest cities on earth, and my all-time favorite girls trip ever...
//day 1
A plethora of travel, Platform 9 3/4, the British Library, wandering the streets, a double decker red bus tour, and jet lag sets in
//day 2
Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, fish and chips, Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge
//day 3
Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Princess Diana Memorial, more double decker red bus tour like total American tourists, the London Bridge at night, a fancy French dinner on the River Thames, and the Changing of the Keys at the Tower of London at night
//day 4
The Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrods, and the Sherlock Holmes Museum
Mom and I are on a mission to get back to London when it's warm. We were completely jet-lagged the whole trip, and I think we would have gotten more in if we didn't sleep until 10am every day. Oops.
Things we missed out on that we really wanted to do: St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Abbey Road, and meeting Prince Harry. Next time! ;)
A selfie collage for good measure...
Cheers to London, baby! Thank you for being impulsive, mom! And thank you for not only being the best mom and best friend ever, but also the best travel buddy I could ever ask for! Love you!
xo, Jaclyn
