Open-Top Bus Tour of London!

Day 5 

On Thursday morning, I woke up early, went into the cozy little kitchen area, and boiled some water for tea, in Rachel's electric kettle.  Breakfast for Nuno and I, consisted of tea and leftover Victoria sponge cake! 

I went to tidy up, gather our things, and pack up our suitcases because we would be out most of the day with Morwenna and Nathan, touring London on a double decker tour bus!  I wanted to leave everything ready to go before we left, so that we could enjoy the day without having to worry about packing when we got back.  After all, our train was departing at 6 pm, and we had to squeeze in all of London before then!

Morwenna and Nathan met up with us at Piccadilly Circus at 9:30 am.  We had previously purchased tickets with the Original Bus Tour company, thanks to Morwenna's great idea!  I'm so glad we did the tour as we could hop on and off as we wished and only saw the things we wanted.  The tickets even included a river cruise on Thames River!  Won't you come along with us? 

We were exceptionally lucky, because the weather was FABULOUS!  The sky was blue, and the sun was shining!  I truly wasn't expecting this glorious weather in London!  But, boy was I happy!  It was perfect for sitting at the top of the bus and taking photos.

The first place we hopped off at, was Buckingham Palace.  I remember being a young girl, and fantasizing about visiting this place one day.  This dream of mine had derived from my love for Princess Diana.   When I approached the gates, I thought of Catherine and Prince William, and how only a few months ago,  they were right here, celebrating their wedding day!  

 Anita really wanted to see inside the palace, but when we got to the line up, it was immensely long and there would be at least an hour's wait just to purchase tickets.  We decided against it, as it would take at least another hour just to tour the palace.  We will save it for another time, when our stay in London is not so short. 

Here we are, standing in front of the palace gates

The majestic iron gates surrounding the palace.  

The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom

Our view of Big Ben and the parliament buildings from the top of the bus

Isn't it gorgeous?

This is the Big Ben clock tower.  Did you know that "Big Ben" is actually the name for the large, 14 tonne bell, and NOT the tower?   Even knowing so, everyone still calls the tower, Big Ben.

Okay, this is the last one, I promise!

Here are Morwenna and I, inside a telephone box!  I mean, seriously, I couldn't get enough of these while I was there.  Can it get any more "London" than this??

This is the London Eye.  It is the world's tallest observation wheel, with views of the entire city of London.  We did not attempt it, because most of the Canadians were too chicken!

Here we are again, Houses of Parliament behind us.

I had to sneak this one in, too.

 

At 11:45, we boarded a ferry for our cruise on the River Thames.  Here are sweet Morwenna and Nathan, seated on the boat, with the London Eye behind them.   

The London Eye, view from the boat.

The London Bridge

The London Bridge, over the River Thames

I thoroughly enjoyed the River cruise.  Our tour guide was very dear and informative.  Unfortunately, I can't remember his name.  I think I can speak for all of us when I say, we had a blast!  The weather was perfect, dare I say, even hot!  Next, we decided to stop for some lunch.  

We ended up at a gourmet burger joint, close to where we exited the cruise.  Here are Annabel and Anita enjoying their milk shakes.

Just look at the size of this baby!  I have to say, this burger had gourmet written all over it!  I loved the melted Stilton cheese, smokey bacon, and delicious house relish!

The four of us, about to savor our juicy burgers.  The fries came shortly, thereafter.

Lunch was incredible!  We were all very satisfied.  The conversation was great too!  We felt so comfortable being here with Morwenna and Nathan.  They were so friendly and accommodating.  We were truly blessed to have them share the day with us.  I am so thankful to them for coming from so far (2 hours away!) to spend the day with us and make us feel welcome.  Words cannot express our gratitude!!

We got back on the bus and stopped off here, for a peek at the stunning Westminster Abbey!

It was at this very church, nearly 5 months ago, where Kate and Prince William were married!

And that concludes our tour of the City of London.  Due to our time constraints, we weren't able to go inside the buildings, as we tried to see as much as possible, in the limited hours we had.  I think we did very well, indeed, don't you?  We'll have to return to London again one day, to revisit places like the Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, but we will need several days to see it all! 

Morwenna and Nathan took the bus with us, all the way to our stop.   Thankfully, they walked with us and helped us find our way to the flat, where we said our goodbyes .  I will always treasure that day, our first encounter and our time spent together.  It was truly a dream come true!

Nuno, the girls and I, are so grateful to Morwenna, Nathan, Rachel, Paul, and Nuno's aunt, uncle and cousins, for extending their hearts to us while we were in London.  How wonderful it was to feel so welcome in a city we have never visited before.  We were never left alone, from the minute we arrived, to the minute we departed.  Rachel was there to welcome us, and Morwenna and Nathan were there to say goodbye.  Thank you, so much, from the bottom of our hearts!  You and London have stolen a piece of our hearts!  XOXO

My Herb Garden & Greek Inspired Chicken Kabobs & Potatoes

After getting married in the summer of 2000, Nuno and I  moved into our first apartment in the big city - Toronto. We lived above a nail salon, on a busy main street.  It was a large, 2 bedroom apartment, not modern, but somehow, at the time, it was just perfect.  I remember falling in love with the large living room with the red brick fireplace.  That was the beginning of our married life.  One year later, we had a little girl, that little girl quickly grew up, and when she was 5, we had another little girl.  I recall my eldest, Anita, always asking for grass. Outside our apartment, there wasn't any grass, nowhere for the girls to play, only concrete and lots and lots of cars.  So 7 years later, we took the leap and bought our first home in the City of Barrie.  One of our main concerns was finding a place with plenty of grass for the girls to play.  And so we found our cozy little home, with lots and lots of grass, and soil for planting.  It's hard to believe we've only been here 4 years.  It seems like a lifetime ago since we lived in Toronto.  Last year, Nuno dug up a garden for us to plant our herbs in. One of my favorite things to do, is go out to the side of our house and pick fresh herbs to cook with.  In the fall, when things start dying off, I have to go to the grocery store to buy my herbs.  So I don't take for granted, this little herb garden, and all it provides during the summer months.

We have parsley, cilantro, chives, thyme, oregano, dill, lavender, rosemary, basil and mint.

And of course, a little gnome!

Look at the beautiful oregano!  It smells delicious!

On Thursday afternoon,  I went to the herb garden, saw all the oregano and decided to make a Greek inspired meal - grilled chicken kabobs and delicious baked potato wedges! 

I cut up vidalia onion, and green & red bell peppers.  I didn't have any mushrooms on hand, but they would be great too! I also cut up some boneless, skinless, chicken breast into chunks and wrapped them in bacon slices. 

I basted the kabobs with an olive oil marinade ( lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, finely chopped oregano) and set aside while I prepared the potatoes.

I used red baking potatoes.  Wash them and cut into wedges.  Next, add salt, pepper, olive oil, a little water, lemon juice, and freshly chopped oregano.  Thoroughly combine. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven.  Half way through cooking, remove pan from the oven and stir potatoes.  Add some more liquid, if it is drying out. Return to the oven until you reach desired crispiness. 

Grilled to perfection, on the BBQ, by Nuno, my grill king. ;)

Here are the potatoes, just out of the oven!  They smell absolutely delicious!  I can pretty much guarantee there will be NO leftovers, they're just too good!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the food on a plate.  I was in such a rush to eat the food, I totally forgot the picture.  But you get the idea! 

It is a rainy Saturday here in Barrie.  It has been raining for several days now.  I'm getting a bit tired of it now, but it IS good for the garden!  I hop you all have a wonderful, happy weekend, no matter what the weather! xoxo