The Maple Family Blog: I'll bet you thought I was LIEing...

b/c I never blogged about my trip to London! Some of you were probably wondering if I really even went to London...well I did. So sit back, relax, and take some time to learn something you may not have already known. London's history is amazing.

First, I must say that I had a WONDERFUL time. I'm reminded of this when I find myself smiling :) just looking at the pictures from the trip. Yes, it was short, but very SWEET! I want to go back.

Let me also preface by saying that most of these images were taken while on the bus during the Big Bus Tour. If not taken while on this bus, they were taken from a moving cab as we were headed to catch a train from Victoria Train Station to Arundel. Arundel is the home of this beautiful castle. Our final destination was Little Hampton, where the bride and groom reside.

I have included many links (pink, bold text) throughout this blog...click on them and read all of the INTERESTING information/history about London!

So, I could ramble on for days...I will spare you and get to the pictures. I will only blog about a few of the images I feel "bloggy" about. You can view ALL of the images in a slide show at the very end of this post!

These are my two cousins (far left) and the Bride's son and his girlfriend. All from TEXAS, we booked our flights together and hung-out a lot while in London. We had great times :)

This is a picture of the flat we stayed in our first night in London. Although it is called a "flat", it had 2 stories, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and no air conditioning!! You don't need A.C. in London....very nice! It is right in the heart of the city, so we were able to tour and get a feel for the city, which by the way is very different from the breath-taking countryside.

The Prospect of Whitby is a pub that was connected to the flat. We had lunch here upon our arrival to London. Read about this pub in my link, b/c there really was a noose hanging outside one of the windows!

The National Gallery at Trafalgar square

These are the huge bronze lions at Trafalgar square.

I was amazed at the site of this...

You can see St. Paul's Cathedral from a far...This is all I got to see of the cathedral. It is one of the places I really wanted to visit, but time didn't allow for it.

This is Piccadilly Circus in 2007...

This is Buckingham Palace...

So, some things I found INTERESTING while on this trip:

*Driving on the opposite side of the road

*the driver's seat is our passenger seat.

*cigarettes are called "fags"

*If you need to go to the restroom, you had better ask where the "toilet" is.

*No whipped cream for your hot cocoa...only creme.

*The architecture is STUNNING, and FABULOUS in every way!

*It really is gloomy and rainy in London...just look at my pictures.

*I've always been intrigued by the BUBONIC PLAGUE and even did a research paper on it in high school...yes, London is where it took place.

*THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE TEXAS...hospitality, friendly smiles, good food, BIG everything, that texan drawl, etc.,...you'll find it no where else in the world! The picture below is certainly not your typical "texas-sized" road! I mean, trying to get our over-sized trucks down these narrow roads would be like me trying to fit in my 3 yr. olds clothes!