and a finale!

Sunday was our last day in the city, but our flight wasn’t until 10:30 at night, so we were still able to enjoy the whole day.

We decided to take the time to have some breakfast in Hyde Park, visiting a little café right on the Serpentine called Lido. It was beautiful and very cute, with our little lattes and pastries. We then continued to wander around the park, enjoying the magnificent gardens that I know my Aunt Cindy would have loved. It was just so pretty, right out of a storybook.

We then headed back to the Covent Garden area, going to the market in the middle of the cobble stone square. It was packed, with a ton of street performers and a lot of boutiques to shop in. I loved the little sidewalk vendors with homemade arts and crafts, including hand painted views of London and black and white photography. We wandered around for a while, stopping to have lunch smack in the middle of the market place, enjoying an opera singer in the courtyard. Pretty amazing. Then, Jena and Mary Marshall decided to continue some shopping, so I headed to the National Opera House, Sommerset House, and St. Mary de la Strand. Just a few sights and photographs, all absolutely stunning, before we met up again to head back to our hostel to get our bags, catch a bus, and head to the airport.

We flew in and our of Gatwick airport, which was very easy to get to and from the city center. After flying in, we took the train, which was about 12 pounds, but really easy and quick. To get out of the city on Sunday, we took the bus, which was 7 pounds, but took a lot longer of time and was a little nauseating. I would definitely take the train if I were to go back. Gatwick was insane. I’ve never seen such a crowded airport. The lines were going out the doors and there were people missing their flights left and right. A lot of angry passengers to say the least. We were lucky since we didn’t have any bags to pack, but still we spent a lot of time waiting. The security was also super intense, with a ton of check points and  about half the people going through getting patted down. But, we made it in time for our flight and got home right on time!

Overall, I just loved London. It’s a beautiful city and so much fun. We were exhausted from constantly being on the go, but it was so worth it. I really can’t wait to go back there while I am in Luxembourg next spring!