Me in front of the Tower Bridge

So much has happened in the past week, and I will try my best to cover what I can. I have decided to briefly discuss London, Paris and Amsterdam so I can more accurately describe my current conditions and activities within Kaunas, Lithuania, (which has proved to already be an adventure within the first few hours!). So here is my attempt at London and the top sights I would suggest seeing…

Slightly off the beaten trail is the Churchill War Rooms museum. It depicts life within the wartime bunker, the decisions that had to be made during World War 2 and stories of the people involved. Once passing through many of the rooms that were left untouched and abandoned after the war, you enter the larger museum which houses articles of clothing, letters, pictures and others from throughout Churchill’s life. As you meander through the aisles, you will find that each section is incredibly interactive. Some allow you to touch screens resembling filing cabinets to dig deeper into specific dates and what happened, and others will start playing one of Churchill’s speeches when standing on a certain spot. Pictures dance and music plays. The main museum can keep one occupied for quite some time. (Keep track of time if planning to visit other sights at specific times). Upon exiting the main museum, you find yourself deeper in the bunker, around the call center, the map room and finally Churchill’s bedroom. It is best to give yourself a minimum of 2.5 hours to venture through the exhibits – I found that 2 hours was too little because you can easily get caught up in the main museum (as we did) and then rush through the end (we were expected at the changing of the guards at 11:30).

A very popular sight, the Tower of London, was equally as fascinating. Originating in the 11th century, it is vastly older than anything in the United States, so to me, it is understandably fascinating. The stories that go with the castles history are grotesque, brutal and equally as captivating as the age and beauty itself. The Crown Jewels are also kept here! I would recommend spending at least 2.5 hours to be able to tour it all without being rushed – we actually ran out of time because we went too close to the closing hours.

Nestled underneath the London Bridge rests the Borough Market, and is the last stop on my quick tour through London. It can be accessed many different ways, but I would recommend completing the Queen’s Walk and passing by some wonderful sights, local vendors and delicious food trucks (one is even a double-decker frozen yogurt stand!) Before you even reach the market, the aroma of the fresh food hits you. I would suggest that you arrive slightly hungry – as everything looks tasty. You can purchase sandwiches, paella, cheese, wine, beer, pastries of all sorts, fresh produce and beautiful flowers. It is worth checking out!

Double Decker frozen yogurt along the Queen’s Walk

Food and flowers of all kinds

I had a wonderful 4 days in London, we were constantly moving in the hustle of all the locals and tourists, hardly stopping. Rather than continue with more descriptions of places, I’ll leave you with a handful of photos taken throughout our London days.

The obligatory “photo in the phone booth”

When in London, every Beatles fan has to visit

We battled crowds to get this picture

Me, in the Kensington Palace gardens