Welcome back to Honeymoon Week! This post is Part 3 in a 6 part series chronicling my honeymoon from last summer.
Catching up on previous posts?
After our Paris trip we slept well and woke up the next day ready to see more of London. We decided to check out Parliament and Westminster Abbey first. Coming out of the tube we were greeted by the London Eye.
The London Eye is one of the most iconic sights of London. Opened in March 2000, it is basically a giant ferris wheel that you can pay to take a 30 minute rotation of the London skyline in one of the 32 capsules.
Remembering a tip from one of our guidebooks, we walked out to the midddle of the Westminster Bridge to get a good view of Big Ben and Parliament.
Our view even had musical accompaniment.
The business of Parliament takes place in two places, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Big Ben is the clock tower at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Located at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, it was built in 1859.
The tower is known as Big Ben because that was the nickname of the largest bell in the clock tower which was originally called the Great Bell.
Walking down the street we made our way around the Houses of Parliament.
A school group of children had the same idea.
We paid our respects to Oliver Cromwell
and couldn’t forget Winston Churchill
Just like the last time I was in London (I can’t believe it’s been 4 years!), Parliament Square in between Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament was covered in protesters. The“Peace Camp” as it is known is a group of anti-war campaigners and other protesters who camp out on Parliament Square daily.
When you turn away from the Peace Camp you are greeted by the lovely Westminster Abbey.
Westminster Abbey is revered as the greatest church in the English-speaking world. There was actually a pretty famous wedding there a few weeks ago, perhaps you heard about it?
We spent several hours wandering the magnificent church but unfortunately you’re not allowed to take pictures inside (although we did sneak a few videos).
Westminster Abbey has been the place where England’s kings and queens have been crowned and buried since 1066. A thousand years of English history — 3,000 tombs, the remains of 29 kings and queens, and hundreds of memorials — lie within its walls and under its stone slabs.
We did get to see a wedding party at Westminster Abbey, even if they weren’t royal.
By the time we left the abbey we were starving and knew exactly what we wanted for lunch.
Remember Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Tavern?
We decided we couldn’t leave London without dining in one of Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Teddy Roosevelt’s favorite pubs.
Made up of several connected, dimly lit rooms with low ceilings, it was the perfect place for Jacob to finally get an authentic order of Fish and Chips.
When you go to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Tavern, you have to have a pint of Samuel Smith, the house beer.
Check out that bling. We were married and it was official.
Uh oh, looks like Jacob had a few too many pints.
This award on the wall next to us was from a cooking exhibition in 1910.
Properly hydrated and fueled, we left Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and made our way back to St. Paul’s Cathedral.
We turned at St. Paul’s and walked towards the Millenium Bridge.
Along the way we passed 
No David Hasselhoff sightings unfortunately.
You may remember this pedestrian bridge from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when several of Voldemort’s Death Eaters destroy the bridge. No thanks.
(The bridge collapse is at :55 in)
We crossed without any Death Eater attacks and made our way to the Globe Theatre.
Shakespeare’s company erected the storied Globe Theatre around 1598 in London’s Bankside district.
Which was closed. Womp womp.
In 1613, the original Globe Theatre burned to the ground when a cannon shot during a performance of Henry VIII ignited the thatched roof of the gallery. The company completed a new Globe on the foundations of its predecessor before Shakespeare’s death. It continued operating until 1642, when the Puritans closed it down (and all the other theatres, as well as any place, for that matter, where people might be entertained). Puritans razed the building two years later in 1644 to build tenements upon the premises. The Globe would remain a ghost for the next 352 years.
The foundations of the Globe were rediscovered in 1989, rekindling interest in a fitful attempt to erect a modern version of the amphitheater. Led by the vision of the late Sam Wanamaker, workers began construction in 1993 on the new theatre near the site of the original. The latest Globe Theatre was completed in 1996.
FYI the Globe Theater only gives tours in the morning. In case you were wondering.
Moving along we walked a little further to the real reason we had crossed the Millenium Bridge, Tate Modern.
No pictures inside this one either, but I really loved this museum.The collection ranged from Monet, Matisse, Dalí, Picasso, Warhol, and many more.
After we left Tate Modern we took the tube back to our neighborhood (Kensington, more on that later) and grabbed dinner in a little italian restaurant before calling it a night.
Tomorrow I have a sighting of the Queen and the United States vs. England World Cup game. I know you’ll be waiting on the edge of your seat.
I live with my husband Jacob and dog Lois in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I love painting, cooking, social media, lipstick and the Razorbacks.
