London, February 15-16

 I have been a lover of all things British for a very long time. So the travel destination at the very tippy top of my bucket list has been England. Mark wasn't really interested in a trip to the UK--it was mostly the travel to and from that didn't interest him--so he told me to find a different travel partner. I was thrilled when Aaron volunteered. 

There were several times when people asked where I was, and he answered by saying I was on a trip to London with his optometrist. After a few awkward moments, he would say that the optometrist was our son, so it was a mother-son trip. He never got tired of telling that story...

If you have followed me on Instagram or Facebook, you have seen highlights. These blog posts will have a lot more photos and more details. So here we go...

We flew from Fresno to Seattle on Saturday, February 15.

After a five-hour layover, which we spent in the Alaska lounge, we boarded British Airways at about 6:20 p.m. for a nine-plus hour flight.

We flew Premium Economy, which gave us seats that were a little wider and had more leg room. We arrived in London the next day at around noon, and took the first of many trips on the London underground.

We checked into our hotel, the Luna Simone in Pimlico.

Then it was on to a tour of Parliament. I think one of the first photos I actually took was of Big Ben. Even though I hadn't really slept on the flight over, it was so thrilling to be in the place of my dreams that I was operating on excitement and adrenaline.

The great entrance hall was magnificent. It was the first of many, many impressive buildings that we were able to tour.

We took an audio tour of Parliament, and learned many fascinating things about the House of Commons and the House of Lords, though we were not allowed to take any photos. 

We had dinner at a food court.

Even though we were tired from the flight, it was too early to call it a day, so we walked to Buckingham Palace. The beginning of an unforgettable week.