Sunset at St. Pauls, Millennium Bridge, and dinner in Notting Hill

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson

I fully agree with that statement by Samuel Johnson. There was so much to see and do that I couldn't have possibly done everything. I just plan on doing everything on each subsequent visit because I WILL BE BACK. For our remaining evening in London, I had originally planned on going on the London Eye but the line was long and I didn't really want to pay the admission price. Instead we walked over to St. Paul's Cathedral along the Jubilee Walk. We were able to cross the Millennium (which was fictitiously destroyed by the Dementors in Harry Potter and so I wanted to take a picture for my daughter).   

St. Paul's was another very impressive moment, especially considering the WWII history surrounding it. The Cathedral was not hit during the bombing raids which is just incredible. It is enormous and it's survival provided a symbol of hope to the nation.

We went to the One New Change Mall to view the sunset behind St. Paul's. It was quite beautiful. 

Here are a few of the photos my sister captured on her iPhone. 

Since we hadn't zig-zagged across the city enough for one day, we took the Tube to Notting Hill Gate and ate dinner at a pub in Notting Hill. This was a very interesting experience because we got to sit on a couch while we ate, and the feel of the pub was very "old." I had Bangers and Mash for dinner, and "pudding," for dessert with custard on top. My pudding was actually a piece of chocolate cake, and the custard was not what I am used to having in America. It reminded me of sweet and condensed milk. 

And that was my trip to Europe. Congratulations if you made it through every single post! It really was the trip of a lifetime and an amazing learning experience. I cannot wait until my next time in Europe, which I am hoping is sooner than later but really time will tell.

Because this is my last post about London, and because these pictures don't really fit with any post in particular (they are random cell phone captures), I will throw them in here because there are a few things I want to write down so that I remember them. 

1. I loved the Aero candy bar! It was unique but so good. If you like mint and chocolate, it is worth a try. I also really liked the Galaxy bar with honeycomb pieces inside. There was a Cadbury bar with pieces of pop rocks inside that was interesting. I had heard that the Nestle Lion bar was really good, my opinion is that it was ok but nothing I would try a second time if the selection was large.

2. Smarties are the American equivalent of M&Ms but they are way better. I brought home several boxes for my girls, as well as some boxes of Jammie Dodgers which were a very delicious raspberry jam filled shortbread cookie. 

3. Gimmicky tourist gifts can be found anywhere but I really enjoyed the store Cool Britannia.

4. In London it is not TJ Max, it is TK MAXX.

5. Las Vegas ads are everywhere on the Tube. This was the best picture I could take on a crowded train, but this one made me laugh.

6. Darling mug that I would have bought if I hadn't been worried about getting my stuff to fit in my bags anyway. I was hoping to see 2015 Royal Baby souvenirs on the shelves too. 

Afternoon Tea at the Kennsington Orangery

At one point in the late afternoon my sister needed to head back to the hostel to work out some airline and scheduling issues because she decided to extend her trip for an extra week. Not wanting to waste any time sitting around, I walked back through Hyde Park (really I couldn't get enough, so delightful) to the Kensington Palace Orangery where I treated myself to a delicious Afternoon Tea. Having a fancy tea party at a palace was so much fun, regardless of the fact that I was alone.

I had the most delicious herbal tea of my life, the Eucalyptus Zest (rooibos blended with eucalyptus leaves, orange blossom and orange zest). It was especially delicious with brown sugar cubes. The tea snacks (they were all mini-sized portions) included a "Coronation chicken wrap, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini bagel, an egg mayonnaise and cress bridge roll, cucumber and fresh mint sandwiches, orange-scened and currant scones served with Cornish clotted cream, English strawberry jam, Victoria Cake (white cake with a thin layer of cream and raspberry jam), a muffin with a thin layer of raspberry jam, and the most delicious yogurt / pudding (not really sure what it was) but it tasted like lemons. 

After tea I headed back to the hostel to pick up my sister and continue our evening. I loved that all streets were labeled "Look Left," and "Look Right." I also liked the British terminology for EXIT being "Way Out," and I loved all of the "Mind the Gap" reminders.

Here is a picture of the outside of our hostel, the Astor. The building was very beautiful and ornate inside. I don't know how much they have changed but I did notice an asbestos warning sign on the wall in our room. 

I took the bottom bunk against the wall and made my sis stay on the top. It was a fairly comfortable bed and we didn't have anyone too obnoxious in our room. I really enjoyed staying in a hostel, it was clean and safe and a great place to meet people. And really we couldn't have had a better location.