Note: I’m one day behind on posts because we have so much to see and do, and I apologize in advance for any typos–blogging from my iPad is tricky at times!!

Hello from the UK! Mom and I landed safely yesterday (Saturday) at around noon. Our flight, train to Paddington, and taxi to the hotel all went perfectly, and we were glad to have our feet back on the ground. Here’s how the whole journey went!

We flew out from the international terminal, which was very nice but offered surprisingly little in the way of food. We ended up eating a Varsity hot dog before going to the gate. Our flight was supposed to leave at 10:10, but it was delayed until closer to 11:30

Varsity hot dogs: a last taste of ATL

After dinner, we sat and waited to board. The most exciting moment of the night was when the gate agents called for first class to board and we saw Lily James, the actress who played Lady Rose on Downton Abbey and Cinderella from Disney’s new live action Cincerella. She was so polite to the gate agent, and when we boarded I saw her reading a big puffin classic book. Kindred spirits? I think yes!

We landed in London, made it to Paddington Station, and grabbed a taxi to the hotel. The weather when we arrived was beautiful-blue skies and sun. We walked from the hotel to Hyde Park, which was covered with picnickers.

Queen’s Gate, Hyde Park

As we walked to Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens, we tried really hard to catch a glimpse at Will and Kate’s London residence, but the fence was covered with black material to prevent us from looking in. Our next stop was The Orangerey at Kensington Palace. Of course the first order of business was afternoon tea.

The tea service was delicious, but we were so hungry that we forgot to take a picture before we started eating! Here’s a few pictures from the afternoon.

Waiting outside for our reservation.

Mom inside the Orangerey

Tea, anyone?

While we were at tea, the clouds and rain rolled in, so we decided to walk back to the hotel for a quick wardrobe change. Rain jackets on, we headed for the Tube and Big Ben.

Our first tube journey was also a success, and we made it to Westminster in no time! It was getting dark, so we had time to see the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and The Eye before heading back to the room. Originally, we had planned to wait until Monday to visit this part of the city, but we decided that you really can’t spend three days in London without seeing these treasures.

Big Ben

Houses of Parliament from across the Thames

All in all, a perfect first day!

Check in tomorrow to read about our trip to Windsor. Spoiler alert: castles and corgis.

Keep Reading!

Sarah