The Runaround :{London, Day 4}

Our final day in London was spent running around, in many different ways! We had originally planned to watch part of the world famous London Marathon, but our planned lunch meet up with a friend of Joe's left us without enough time in the morning. Since we couldn't watch people running, we decided to just run ourselves! We mixed exercise and sightseeing, running down Cromwell Road past multiple sites on our way to Hyde Park. It was such an enjoyable way to spend our morning, and allowed us to get out and see more of the city in a more authentic way.

The Natural History Museum was stunning. We didn't have time to visit the
exhibits inside, but enjoying the architecture on the outside was a good alternative!

After the run we got a coffee and wandered through Hyde Park.
Quintessential London, right?

A turn down the wrong street led us to Winston Churchill's home.

After a fish and chips lunch with Bryant, Joe and I jumped on the tube and headed towards a couple more must-see locations we wanted to end our trip with. First up was St Paul's Cathedral, which was, of course, beautiful. My complaint about the nice churches in London is that they cost too much to get into! Joe and I were a little annoyed that both Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral cost over £15 per person to visit. We compared it to Sacre Couer or Notre Dame in Paris-- both world famous and beautiful, and FREE! I was disappointed to not see the inside of any historic churches in London, but that over $20 per person charge just didn't fit into our travel budget. Maybe next time...

We stopped at Bea's of Bloomsbury for a treat.
Cupcakes and coffee are the best sightseeing fuel!

After St Paul's, we strolled across the Millennium Bridge and visited the Tate Modern. It didn't take us long to remember that we don't really care for modern art, a fact we've discovered at least a half dozen times by now! And that's where the running began again-- we checked the time and discovered that we could squeeze in an hour at Harrods if we hustled over there. Yes! So we power walked out of the museum and to the closest tube stop.

The replica of Shakespeare's Glob Theatre.

I do appreciate a little Picasso.
But I draw the line at "art" in the form of sticks piled on the floor.

We got there with enough time to scratch the surface of Harrods, and I am SO glad we did. The building is beautiful, full of artistic architecture and lovely posh products. We loved the food hall, and the Egyptian Elevator was breathtaking. I'm so glad we squeezed in a quick visit!

Since it was Sunday, Harrods closed pretty early. We spent the evening wandering through more of the way too fancy neighborhood of Chelsea, which was fun but almost too fancy to handle. To get some contrast, we jumped back on the train and went over to Brick Lane for a curry-filled dinner. Our food ended up being average overall, but it was still a fun experience to visit the area.

The next morning was bittersweet. We were thrilled to be heading to Spain, but it still felt too soon to be leaving London! Our time in England was quite memorable, and Joe and I both agree we can't wait to visit again. We're toying with the idea of getting a transfer there with Joe's company, so maybe in a couple years we'll be getting to know London on a whole different level. A girl can dream, right?

Saying goodbye to the street we called home.

Charming London, I am hooked on you!

And then we were off! A couple trains and an Easy Jet flight were all that separated us from our Catalan adventure. The adventure continues...