London, Day One

Karen and I said goodbye to Dena on Monday morning and boarded RyanAir for our short flight to the Luton Airport.  We managed the shuttle, a train ride to Kings Cross and then the underground to Southgate Station, just blocks away from The Oaks Guest House, our B&B for the next four days.

We were delighted to find this lovely place, in a quiet neighborhood, close to Southgate College.  

We stopped at a little grocery store to buy some fruit, veggies and wine.  It was tempting to take a nap, but we headed back to Southgate Station for our trip to Kensington Palace.  

We took opportunities to try lots of different kinds of food - the first one a Falafel, a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is a traditional Arab food, usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa.  We stopped at a small shop, actually encouraged inside by the employee, who told us he was from Israel.  He filled the pita with all kinds of veggies and sauces - a little like a subway sandwich shop.  He pretty much guaranteed we would love it and we did!

We made our way to Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, stopping to admire the statue of Queen Victoria.

We toured the palace and learned a lot about the Royal Families who lived here since the 1600's.  Karen bought a book about the six wives of Henry VIII.  She couldn't believe any subjects would continue to honor a man who had six wives and beheaded two of them!

                                                      

Karen and I took time for tea at the Orangery - a lovely afternoon respite!  I loved the china tea cups.

We walked a bit through the palace gardens and noticed more spring flowers.  

We walked back to the underground via Hyde Park and were fascinated by these ducks who stood on one leg.

We got to bed early because we had to get up early for our tour out to Stonehenge on Tuesday.  We were so happy to open the window, appreciate the fresh air, and wake up to birds singing!