Let’s play a game. We’ll call it, “If you could be any city, which city would you be?” Here’s what I discovered: While I’m an American who will always be an American, I could MOST DEFINITELY BE LONDON.
There was something about this city that grabbed hold of me and made me fall in love. In a MAJOR way. You know how, when you’re a kid, you picture a place in your mind? And then you get there and you’re like, “Oh, hello, not quite what I was expecting…”
London was EXACTLY what I was expecting. All red double decker buses and black cabs and white row houses. And pubs. And parks. And the Underground. Oh my GOODNESS do I love the way public transit in London is not just a mode of transportation. It IS London. The heart and veins of this city.
There was a look, a feel to London that struck a chord with me. To say we had a good time there would be a slight understatement. We saw a lot, did a lot and left wore out, but we made the most of it. So yeah, I could be London. I just might, you know, every now and then raid the refrigerators of Paris and Rome 
It’s PURE luck we got this close to the guards at Buckingham Palace. It’s a total crap shoot knowing where to stand with the bajillion other tourists who join you for a glimpse of these fellas, but we were close enough to one of the gates that we scored with this view! Talk about pomp…
A visit to the Tower of London was a definite must. Our Beefeater (on the left) was bit moody as far as tour guides go, but I’m pretty sure it was all an act . For those not in the know: The Tower is the place you can see the Crown Jewels. But apparently, not take pictures of them (though they were awesome). It’s also where you learn a LOT about Henry VIII—oohhh what a devil he was. (Confession: Nick and I may add The Tudors to our Netflix queue after this trip…I just said “queue”…am I still in London? Next thing you know, my cell will become my mobile )
Red buses and black cabs. They are everywhere. And yes, they are exactly as you imagine them. Drivers on the right side and all 
Tower Bridge (not to be confused with London Bridge. Which is not, contrary to popular belief, falling down). 
The City of London (aka The Financial District). That big tall building on the right? That’s the Gherkin. You better believe I had to name drop that one the whole trip. Like, wherever we were, I was all “Look, Nick, we can still see the Gherkin!” Cool in architecture AND in name. 
One of our favorite places to visit was St. Paul’s Cathedral. A gorgeous church and a fixture to London’s skyline. We actually climbed to the tippy top of that dome and the view left me breathless (not to mention clutching the sides of the wall—comfortable with heights, I am not). And this shot of Nick? Paying homage to all the outdoor cafes where we’d grab a bite or a latte on this trip. Collectively, it’s these moments that might be my favorite part of this whole vacation. 
Months ago, I saw a segment on “CBS Sunday Morning” about a public art project where pianos were set up in London for anyone to come play. I was giddy to discover—by way of finding this gentleman banging away on the instrument set up off the Millennium Bridge—that it was still going on. Cool right?
View of St. John’s Cathedral from Millenium Bridge, outside of the Tate Modern. Isn’t the sky UNREAL? I was expecting London to be 100 percent overcast but we got nothing but blue skies. And perfect 75 degree weather. Which, apparently was a bit too warm for some in this country. We overheard a guy on the tube telling his companion (in this proper British voice, mind you), “You must get an electric fan. You shouldn’t tolerate this insufferable heat one more minute.” Obviously this person had never been to Rome. Or Indiana. 
I loved spotting British-isms. Like “Give Way” instead of “Yield.” For some reason, that’s just more polite to me 
BTW: That’s Nick walking into our hotel, Base2Stay, in Kensington on the left. Loved that hotel. Loved that neighborhood.
We also loved the British Museum. By far one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to. Want to get up close and personal with the Rosetta Stone, mummies and the Lindow Man? Here’s the place to do it. Ridiculously cool interior too.
I can cross “Seeing a musical in London’s West End” off the proverbial bucket list 
We took a day trip outside of the city and hit up Warwick Castle. There were mannequins and kids in uniforms on school field trips and a ridiculous amount of tacky tourist garb, but you know what? Seeing a castle was the one thing Nick asked we do on this trip. And being here made my husband happy. Which, in turn, made me happy. 
The English countryside and the grounds of Oxford University. Both so so pretty. 
Where Oxford students and Harry Potter (at least, for the first two films) eat their breakfast, lunch and dinner 
Back in London. An afternoon in Hyde Park. Perfection. 
A spot of tea? Well, when you’re in Britain, how could you not?! 
And a tour of Harrod’s is a must on the London list as well. This place BLEW OUR MINDS. The food halls alone will put you in a coma, but if that’s not enough, a tour of the lavish goods you can buy on the rest of this luxury store’s floors ought to do it. 
And finally, I have to give a shout-out to my British friend and fellow photographer, Emma Biskupski. Emma found my Web site and blog thanks to ShowIt creator David Jay (thankyouDavidJay!!!!) and shortly before we left for this trip, she sent me THE COOLEST CARE PACKAGE EVER. We worked out a meet-up and Nick and I spent our last night in London at a pub with Emma, sharing a few pints and getting to know one another better. I couldn’t think of a better way for this leg of our trip to come to an end! 
On to Paris next!!!
See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.
by Gail Werner
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