Adventures of a Ginger: "As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts.."

Big Ben at it's finest..

London- Day Two: Woke up with a full day planned.. I was going to take the underground to Trafalgar Square, and then walk towards Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. For a fact, the weather in England and Holland for that matter is notorious for being shit. I think that out of 365 days in a year- it probably rains at least 325.. However, this day in London was abnormally beautiful, warm and quite sunny.. I love the affect that weather has on other peoples mood. People were being overly friendly even for the English, smiling and conversing with strangers; children scattered the lawns near Embankment playing football, laughing and dodging their parents who attempted to scoop them up for naps at home. Today was no exception- a perfect day in London (or perhaps it was the good mood I was left in from the date the night before..) I began walking towards the best known landmarks of London, taking pictures along the way, dodging double decker buses and English taxi's. Even though I knew what to expect, everyone knows London's notorious clock, the view was still astonishing with the Thames River, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben all within a few kilometer radius. It felt extremely surreal to be standing in the middle of a packed cross walk staring at all the sights I've seen for years on T.V, movies, magazines. It reminded me of being twelve years old and waking up at 3am to watch the Princess Diana funeral at Westminster Abbey.. and there I was now standing in front of it. I distinctively remember Elton John's "Candle in the Wind," and watching her two young sons- one older and one younger than myself walking behind the casket of their mother, the ever glamorous and timeless Princess of Wales. After a few silent and sobering moments outside of the church, I decided to walk through the Royal Gardens on the way to view Buckingham Palace. Like I previously said, it was a gorgeous and quite warm day, so people had their lunches out- were running through the park, sitting on park benches, feeding ducks.. I remember looking at this lake with a little English cottage and an actually blue bird flying by and thinking how perfectly ironic it was- how completely British, and I loved every part of it. After a walk around the gates of Buckingham Palace (no royalty sightings) I took the Underground to Embankment.. and crossed over the Thames River on one of the few bridges. I walked near the London eye, watching the street performers, even saw Michael Jackson (and he was hugging little children-awwwkwaarrrd). I went to a book market on the bank and picked up a copy of Oxford English Verse- circa early 1900's as a souvenir. One of my favorite sonnets by Shakespeare, and multiple other authors that I adore and at four pounds, what a steal! After thumbing through the book market, I kept walking along the bank towards the Tate Modern museum. The highlights of the museum being "Waterlies" by Monet, which I sat in front of for quite a while.. work by Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol and a photographer that did a collection of women post birth (like minutes, with their newly born babies and little to no clothing).. We in fact, have the other version of the collection in our house here in Holland. That's pretty badass to share a collection with the Tate Modern http://www.tate.org.uk/modern. I stayed at the museum, just walking around taking in all the pieces. I have a deep appreciate for the arts, whether it be museums or galleries. The thing I love the most about art is it is a complete personal experience, whether the artist can evoke a sense of hatred or admiration, at least you feel SOMETHING.. It could be what I consider the worst piece I've ever seen, but at least I have an opinion and I respect the artist for creating something, anything. After Tate Modern, I was off to meet Ben after his day at work. We met up at the train station, then walked through the wine district and into a beautiful French Restaurant http://www.lacaverestaurant.co.uk/. We had an amazing bottle of red wine, escargot and a plate of French cheeses and bread. Again, we had great conversation, talking about my day and exploring the city, and his day at work.. I find myself liking him more and more, primarily because of his adorable accent and the multiple similarities we share- I have always thought that opposites attract, and maybe there is some truth to that, but I think couples that share goals, and ideas, and dreams will last. You might be attracted to what is completely different than you, but in the end being with someone who wants the same things as you makes much more sense. After a great evening with Ben, I was so looking forward to spending Friday with my good friend Kaitlyn and her British boyfriend Ashley!! Lunch and then out for Ashley's birthday! I needed some girl time and some major catch up time with my friend who I hadn't seen in years and years!..