London & The Hunger Games Premiere!

What an amazing trip to London we just had!!! It honestly flew by, we were go-go-go from the moment we landed at Heathrow airport until we left 6 days later! Our first day we stayed with my sister's best friend Laura, who was so sweet to let us stay at her place for a night. We dropped our things at her place then headed out to sightsee! We walked the Westminster Bridge then toured the Houses of Parliament. It's a great tour and I highly recommend it - they are only on Saturdays though, so it's good to plan in advance! After our tour we headed to the Blackfriars area to check out a pub called "Ye Old Cheshire Cheese" - such a funny name and a very fun pub! For dinner we ventured to Soho and had delicious thai food at Busaba Eathai, this is a place I will definitely return to one day - reasonably priced and so good!


Sunday we started off checking into our hotel for the remainder of our stay - a great budget hotel recommended to me by one of my best friends Rachel - called London House Hotel. Then we set off to ride the London Eye - the giant ferris-wheel like structure across the river from The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. When I first rode this in 2005 I got so nervous and had to sit for most of the ride (my mom and sister remember - I'm not great with heights!) but I had a much better experience this time! The views of London are amazing, it's a must-see when you visit! Up next we walked back across the river and into the city center, where we saw Trafalgar Square, the Admiralty Arch, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, and Great Russell Street - where I stayed when I was in London for two months with FSU study abroad! We even had lunch at this lunch cafe I really loved back then!

After lunch we went just across the street to the British Museum, my favorite museum in London! It has so many amazing things, including figureheads from Easter Island, carvings from the Parthenon in Greece, the world's oldest chess set, Egyptian mummies, and the famous Rosetta Stone. And finally, we went to London's Kings Cross train station and took pictures on Platform 9 3/4, which is set up for all the Harry Potter fans who visit. It's definitely worth it if you're a Harry Potter fan like we are! It has a cart halfway through the wall so you can really feel like you're on your way to Hogwarts!And for dinner we went to Pizza Express (another old favorite of mine! They do great thin crust pizzas) and I even had my favorite dessert - Chocolate Glory! We ended the day having drinks with my friend Darley and her boyfriend Ludo. All in all, a great second day in London!


Monday the weather in London was absolutely gorgeous - 60 degrees, sunny and cool, not a cloud in the sky. We spent the entire day in Hyde Park (the Central Park of London). We walked through the gardens where there were already flowers in bloom and ate lunch along the Serpentine stream that runs through the park. It was the perfect day! That night we had a pre-theater dinner at The Ivy, one of London's oldest and most well-known restaurants, and then we saw Les Miserables - my all time favorite musical! It was amazing, and even though this was my 4th time seeing it, I never tire of it. The music which on its own is incredible, combined with a compelling story make for the most powerful theater experience (in my opinion!)

Tuesday I went to work, while Nate toured Windsor Castle. We met for a sunset dinner on the top of the Oxo tower. The Oxo Tower is across the river from London's Financial District and has amazing views (and food!) Our dinner was delicious - I had fried pumpkin gnocchi, and a delicious sunset cocktail. After dinner we walked the South Bank and saw London at night which is magical (as corny as that sounds!). We walked past the London Eye and had a perfect view of the Houses of Parliament. Great end to the night!

Wednesday I went to work in the morning while Nate toured the Tower of London. After that it was time for The Hunger Games Premiere! I attended the Premiere representing WFP and our partnership with the movie. The Premiere was at London's O2 Arena in North Greenwich. We got all dressed up and then took the subway there (we got a few strange looks, lol). We got there and had time for a glass of wine before the movie started. I checked walking a red carpet off my bucket list! Of course the fans weren't screaming for us, they were waiting for their favorite stars, but we didn't mind! We saw all the stars up close - the main cast of Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, and Toby Jones all introduced the movie. Also in attendance was Liam Hemsworth's brother Chris, who was in last summer's blockbuster movie "Thor." Separate from the red carpet experience, the movie was amazing. I highly recommend everyone see it!We really enjoyed the entire experience!

Finally before we knew it, it was our last day in London. We went to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards ceremony, which Nate really enjoyed - there is a marching band that comes out so of course he did! ;) Then we walked St. James Park until we got down to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. We took some final pictures and grabbed lunch at a deli and took it to the park and ate outside before returning to our hotel to head to the airport. It was a once in a lifetime trip and experience and I'm so glad we got to enjoy it together!