PB Last of London 2014

We had a half day in London on Sunday afternoon/evening after our return from Italy. Our first stop was back to Portabello Market (on our bikes nonetheless).  

We made some great purchases and got another treat at Hummingbird Bakery of course. We then took our bikes all the way to Westminster Abbey just in time for the evensong concert.  We enjoyed a little rest and the beautiful organ music with the amazing architecture inside.  

Ben finally met Big Ben and we took some fun pictures around Parliament.  It was just before sunset and we walked across the bridge to get a classic picture of the Thames and Parliament Square in the background.

 Of course we picked up some more bikes and headed to Tower Bridge to get a picture.  It is such a different feel being south of the river.  The neighborhood is a little sketchier, especially alone at night.  I felt like a local at this point as we rode our bikes across town and made our way to Honest Burger for a late dinner.  I would rate it 8 out of 10.  It was a yummy burger and fries at a decent price, nothing extraordinary, but it hit the spot!  In the dark of night we rode our bikes back to the B&B and slept our last night in Europe. 

Ben really wanted to try this restaurant called Jack's that was highly rated for dinner Sunday night.  It ended up being closed, so he decided we should go there for breakfast instead.  It was fun going out for breakfast on our last day in London/Europe.  Ben ordered an omelet which ended up being eggs with all the typical "innards" on the outside.  I had an egg sandwich on a hoagie.  We took our last journey between destinations on a classic double decker bus all the way over to the National Gallery.  It was fun driving through the city as we sat on the top of the bus and made our way toward Trafalgar Square.  There were a few exhibits, Sunflowers, that were closed that morning but we saw all the highlights fairly quickly.  

 Ben wanted to ride the Cycle Hire one last time so we rode back home to grab Ben's bags and go to South Kensington to catch the tube to the airport.  It just so happened that Ben's Cookies was right outside the station, so we had one last treat before we said goodbye and parted our ways.  Ben and I had different flights going home, so he had to leave a few hours before I did. 

Then I had a few hours in London to myself.  I felt like I lived there again, like I did in 2007 on study abroad.  The moment Ben left for the airport it started raining, so the bikes were out of the question.  I stuck to my roots and took the tube like I did daily with my friends in 2007.  Good thing I left the shopping until the end because I don't think Ben would have enjoyed spending an hour at Primark and Marks &Spencer.  It was fun shopping in London again, remembering the fun times we had years ago.  When I was done shopping I headed on the tube at Marble Arch and wanted to go back towards South Kensington.  Of course there was a derailing of a subway so everything was delayed with unknown fixes.  This is when I wanted a smart phone access again, but I used my expertise from living there and finally made my way back to the B&B on different lines.  The rain had nearly stopped and I made my way back to South Kensington with a huge bag and backpack in tow.  It just so happened that there is a Hummingbird Bakery right by S. Kensington as well so I used the rest of my pounds and cashed in on some goodies for the journey home.  At one point the subway I was on went the "wrong way" so I had to get off, go up the stairs, and back around to the other side to go backwards to the last stop, get off and get back on the tube going to Heathrow Terminal 3.  That was fun with a 50 pound bag and baby girl in my belly!  Luckily there were a few nice men.  By the time I arrived at the airport I was sweating and ready for a nap!  I made it in plenty of time and only had a small backpack for the flight home.  I didn't sleep much on the first flight to JFK but it went fairly quickly with movies and free food on Virgin Atlantic.  

My flight left around 8:00 pm from London with a layover in JFK from 11:30 pm-8:30 a.m. the next day, then arriving in Phoenix to pick up William at 11:00 a.m.  Ben, on the other hand, flew home at 3:00 p.m. and got home to Utah around 9:00 p.m. that "same night."  This is what I got for using flight miles to book my flight to Europe.  It was worth it nonetheless. 

When I arrived at JFK it was a big relief to be back in the United States and able to use my phone.  However, there was no free wifi at the airport and my family's data plan had gone over so I was out of luck again!  At least I could text and call.  My plan was to go to the Delta Sky Room for the overnight and rest in their nice lounge/beds.  The plan was foiled when they made me pick up my bag and leave customs because I was on an international flight.  At this point it was midnight and there was no one to check my bag back in to Delta or let me go through security until 4:30 a.m.  HUGE BUMMER.  I looked into taking a subway into town but by the time I stored my bag for $20, got a ticket, made my way there and back to the airport in a few hours it wouldn't be worth it. I found a "quiet" spot upstairs by an exit where I layed down some newspaper and pretended I had a bed.  There were a few other people in situations like mine spread out on the hard tile floor.  It was sketchy to say the least, but I saved a few bucks!?! Around 5:00 a.m. I was able to check in my bag and go through security just to be told I had to wait another couple hours to take the shuttle to my terminal.  I found a darker carpeted area where I curled into a ball and tried listening to Taylor Swift.  Finally around 6-7:00 I made my way to the other terminal, had some Wendys and waited to board my next five hour flight to Phoenix.  Somehow we had the oldest airplane around with no t.vs or movies playing the entire time.  Luckily we landed right on time and I couldn't wait to see my baby and family!  William's greeting was a little less enthusiastic than one would think as he saw me, smiled, and went back to eating his Goldfish crackers.  

We had an incredible journey and couldn't have been luckier to have two wonderful moms and families that helped make it possible!
Until next time, Europe!