The morning after our arrival in London, we woke completely refreshed and ready to see some prehistoric awesomeness! We had a couple of hours to kill before picking up our bus to Stonehenge, so we walked over to Victoria Station to hang out for a while. Victoria Place Shopping Centre is a small mall area on the second level of the station and there are about two dozen shops, as well as a small food court. We spent some time in a shop called Pylones, a unique French chain that offers all kinds of funky gifts. We also stopped at a small sweet shop called  Lola’s Cupcakes, where we picked up a couple of delicious treats to eat while browsing. We returned to the hotel to drop off our shopping and then walked over to the Evan Evans office.

Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire, England, about two miles west of Amesbury, which is the oldest town in the country and the birthplace of history in Britain. The drive from London was just under two hours and much of route offered stunning views of the English countryside.  It was a beautiful day and, despite the glare from the bus’s window, we were able to get a few great pics.

To some, Stonehenge represents one of the greatest feats of prehistoric man. For others, it’s just a bunch of rocks that you have to pay to see. For us, it was the first of many awe-inspiring experiences on the road to Rome. It’s true there is a certain energy surrounding this Neolithic marvel, and people continue to flock to the site for various reasons. Some folks believe Stonehenge was created with assistance from otherworldly beings and once you see it in person, that theory doesn’t seem so fantastic.

In most photos of Stonehenge, you don’t see the barrier that prevents visitors from getting too close to the stones and potentially damaging the site. We spent about an hour walking around this area and taking tons of pictures. The open grassland surrounding the monument provided the perfect backdrop and we took advantage of the camera’s zoom to get some amazing shots. Afterward, we visited the gift shop to pick up a few souvenirs and then treated ourselves to another pasty in the café. Before we knew it, it was time to return to London. Back at the hotel, we took 20 minutes to rest before heading out the door again. There was one more place we wanted to see before our time in London was up.

Piccadilly Circus is located in London’s West End and is a very popular tourist area. Much like New York’s Times Square or the Las Vegas Strip, seeing it for the first time is quite overwhelming! There are tons of restaurants and shops to choose from and several street performers vied for the crowd’s attention. Enormous neon signs illuminate the entire area and complement the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. After a bit of shopping, we stumbled into London’s Chinatown area, where we enjoyed the vibrant scenery and then stuffed our faces at a pretty good Chinese buffet.

Our walk back to the hotel brought us past Buckingham Palace again, and we stopped for a few more pictures before strolling down The Mall one last time. At the hotel, we packed our suitcases and wondered about the adventures that lie ahead before drifting off to sleep.

Check back soon to see what happens on Day 3 of J&J’s European adventure!

After leaving Tower Bridge, we explored the area around the River Thames. A live band was playing in a little park area and hundreds of people strolled leisurely along the water or chilled in the grass. It was still a bit cool but the sky was clear and the afternoon was delightful.

From here, we used the Big Bus map and mobile GPS to walk to several of London’s most famous landmarks.  First was Trafalgar Square, where we paused to admire the beautiful fountain and watched children chase giant bubbles. Next was Westminster Abbey, the famous Gothic church where Charles Darwin, Issac Newton, and several other notable historical figures are buried.  It was closed when we arrived, so we spent some time exploring the grounds and taking photos.

From the bus, we had pretty good views of the London Eye, The Shard, and Big Ben, but we wanted to get a bit closer to the latter.“Big Ben” actually refers to the bell within the tower, called Elizabeth Tower, and it holds the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world.  Truly a magnificent sight! Strolling past the Houses of Parliament, we noticed several men standing on the sidewalk. One of them walked over to us and asked if we could move farther down the street. Turns out a Netflix TV show was being filmed in the area and we walked right in the middle of the shoot!

As dusk began to fall over the great city of London, we ended the Along the Way with J&J self-guided walking tour with a visit to Buckingham Palace. The area was still bustling with tourists, so we spent a little time people watching. With several other curious folks, we walked up to the ornate iron gates to see if any movement could be detected from the palace guards. On the way back to the hotel, we strolled dreamily down the wide road known as “The Mall”, which is closed to motor traffic on Sunday until later in the evening. It was a tranquil and relaxing end to our first day in one of the busiest cities in the world.

Now going on a day and a half without sleep, we were exhausted and famished! Victoria Station was just as busy in the evening as earlier in the day, and there were several food vendors still open inside. We stopped at a little “take away” kiosk and ordered a couple of British “pasties”, a baked pastry stuffed with your choice of yummy goodness. Jay had ground steak and cheese and mine was stuffed with veggies. We devoured them on the way to the hotel…they were scrumptious! Finally, after a long day of travel and exploring, we were back in our room and ready to relax. Or were we?

A half hour after getting back, we realized the pasty, however tasty, had not satisfied our hunger. So, back out we went, in search of an almost midnight snack. Luckily, we found a falafel joint close to the hotel and ordered up a double to split with a side of “chips”. In less than 20 minutes, we were back in our room…this time for good! Thirty-two and a half hours after beginning the countdown to our arrival in Europe, we lay down to sleep around 11:30 p.m. local time. Check back soon for more about our time in England!