Wednesday July 17 marked our last day in London! We had a grand ol’ time exploring many of my favorite tourist spots and I know it brought our relationship to a new level 🙂

While on the tube a few days earlier staring at the tube stops, I remembered that Trafalgar Square is an essential part of London as well as Covent Garden and Chinatown – they are all within walking distance of each other, so it was clear what we had to do on our last day! We purposefully did not book anything in advance for Wednesday, so that it could fit in anything we missed on a whim. 

After allowing ourselves a restful morning, we ventured to the elegant Trafalgar Square where the idyllic fountain surrounded by lions awaited. Even though hoards of tourists were in the same area, I didn’t feel overwhelmed strolling around and eating lunch on the fountain wall. The National Gallery is one of Mia’s favorite British museums and its presence is definitely felt by the historic architecture. Since it was very hot, we wandered in for some air-conditioned inspiration. The main exhibit was called Starfish, and I could feel the vibrancy of color instantly! There were four paintings that were meant to be the windows to the soul (Human Body). Each one had a center window that was a mini replica of another one. 

We then ventured to Covent Garden Market, which reminded us of the Saturday Market in Eugene. There are endless stalls of handmade necklaces, soaps, ties, pictures, scarves, and anything you could think of! After buying Mia, Ryan, and my grandma a gift for letting us stay with them, we continued to stroll to let the atmosphere soak in 🙂 We watched a mime interacting with a child for a little bit and indulged him when he wanted audience participation. Deciding to meet up with Mia and my friend Alison (who was studying in London) at a restaurant in Chinatown, we started the walk. I found “Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie playing at a local theater, which had been playing there for 67 years 😮 I instantly needed a picture of it to send to my mom who is also an Agatha Christie novel fan. 

Chinatown is always interesting – you get sucked into another culture that stretches one long street. We perused the different menus, comparing prices and vegetarian options for Nathan. I ended up eating House Fried Rice, Nathan had an eggplant dish, Mia had chicken noodle soup, and Alison had a chicken pot. We met Ryan at a local pub for a final drink before needing to get back to repack and get a good night sleep for our early flight to Belfast. 

London is always such a thrill to explore and you get sucked in to the culture of taking the underground everywhere. I explained to Nathan that the next part of our trip in Northern Ireland will be very different, still amazing but not the big city lifestyle.