Souvenir Artwork

I’m horrible about buying souvenirs when I go on vacation. I always intend to buy myself something nice to remember the trip, but it rarely happens. I usually end of spending way too much money on random crap and souvenirs for my friends and family, but nothing for myself. Remember our trip to New Orleans last year? Yeah, I only have an alligator oven mitt as a souvenir from that trip. Souvenir FAIL!

So for our London and Paris trip I was determined to bring back something nice for myself. I actually did pretty well with this on our trip and brought home some great items (mostly from London). I still spent too much money on random crap, but at least this time I have some nice items too. Anyway, I ended up buying quite a few art prints (and some postcards that are pretty enough to frame) for myself at various locations. They were pretty cheap and didn’t take up much space in my luggage…and they all made it home without getting bent! That’s a miracle!

 

One of my favorite prints is this picture of the Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill. I bought it from one of the vendors there for £5 (about $8).

Once I got it home I realized the mat was too small for an 8x10 frame, but too big for a 5x7 frame. The print is an odd-size, so I ended up having to get a custom mat cut from Michael’s for $8. It was worth it though because I love the bright white versus the beige of the original mat. Plus now it fits in any 8x10 frame! 
 

I picked up a frame at Wal-Mart for $3 and spray painted it white with some leftover paint. After it dried I added my new mat and Portobello Road Market print. I decided to hang my new artwork on this small wall in the hallway. 

 

It’s right outside of the master bedroom, so I can see it while I’m laying in bed. I love waking up and seeing this reminder of our trip first thing in the morning!

I haven’t decided where I’m going to hang the rest of the prints that I bought, but of course I’ll keep you posted!

{Travel Tuesday} Tower of London and Westminster Abbey

I’m excited for today’s post because it’s about one of my favorite days of our trip!

We started our day at the Tower of London (using our London Pass). We got there just after they opened, so it wasn’t very crowded yet. I had read online that you should visit the Crown Jewels early because it can get really busy, so we headed there first. There’s a moving walkway through the Crown Jewels, so you don’t have to worry about other people blocking your view. They should put a moving walkway in front of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre…people were seriously rude there, but that’s a story for another day. 

 

Then we walked back to the entrance to join one of the Yeoman Warder (aka Beefeater) tours. I highly recommend taking a tour with them. They are seriously entertaining and full of interesting stories and facts about the Tower. They actually live in the Tower with their families, which we thought was really cool. Can you imagine growing up in the Tower of London?!

Lastly we walked through the White Tower, the oldest part of the tower (and the most recognizable). 

Once we finished at the Tower of London we walked along the river towards Tower Bridge. You can go to the top of the bridge, but we decided to skip that and just take a few pictures. 

By then it was time for lunch and we were tired of walking, so we decide to eat at the closest restaurant – The Perkin Reveller. It’s right next to the Tower of London. We ordered from the 2-course lunch menu – fish and chips and a chocolate pot for dessert. The fish and chips were good (the tartar sauce was delicious) and the chocolate pot was amazing! I’d definitely recommend this place for lunch if you are near the Tower. 

With full bellies we headed down to the pier to catch the Thames river cruise to Westminster Abbey. The cruise is included with the London Pass and is a great way to see the city. The weather was perfect, so we were able to sit on the deck outside. 

And then there it was, the Palace of Westminster/Elizabeth Tower/Big Ben/Whatever Name is Appropriate, and it was beautiful! Now I understand why this view is considered iconic London…it’s amazing!

 

Our next stop was Westminster Abbey (also included with the London Pass), which is next to the Palace of Westminster. You might recognize it as the place where William and Kate were married a couple years ago. 

 

On the hour they deliver a short prayer over the speaker system. We were there on September 11^th, so the prayer we heard was for all the victims and survivors from that day. I don’t consider myself to be a very religious person, but I have to admit that it brought tears to my eyes. It was one of those experiences that you don’t plan in your itinerary, but turn out to be the most memorable.  

 

I was standing next to Sir Isaac Newton’s tomb during the prayer. He’s one of many famous people buried in the Abbey, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, and surprisingly Charles Darwin. Pictures aren’t allowed inside the Abbey, but are allowed inside the cloisters. Here you can see some of the tombs on the floor.

 

Not to completely change the subject, but Westminster Abbey had a great gift shop too. We bought a lot of our souvenirs there!

Anyway, we decided to finish off the day with a walk to Trafalgar Square. It’s a short walk from Westminster Abbey and includes some fun sights. You can see the street that the Prime Minster lives on – although it’s gated and guarded by police. You also pass by the horse guards!

 

As you approach the square you can see Nelson’s column high in the air.

 

We sat in the square for awhile (next to the blue rooster) and watched crews set up barriers, booths and a large stage. We found out later it was for the World Triathlon which was being held in Hyde Park over the weekend. Eventually they kicked everyone out of the square so they could finish setting up for the triathlon events and we headed off for dinner and back to the hotel to rest up for the next day.

 

 

Next Week: St. Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace!

Bye-Bye Brass + How-To

When I painted my front door last December I ended up replacing the dated brass hardware with new satin nickel knobs and locks. I had every intention of replacing all of the interior knobs soon after…10 months later, it’s done! 

Originally I thought about just spray painting the knobs, but I decided not to after realizing the knobs weren’t all matching, about half of them have keyholes (I don’t have the key), and a couple of them were dented, so I’d have to replace some of the knobs anyway.  For me, it was worth buying all new knobs.

 

Plus, this project ended up being free (for me)…let me explain how:

The company I work for gives out “pride points” as a reward for working on special projects, going above and beyond your job duties, supporting a successful project, etc. A point is equivalent to $1 and can be cashed in for merchandise or gift cards. On top of that, our company hosted a fitness challenge over the summer and gave out Amazon gift cards to everyone who successfully completed the challenge and reached their goal.  

SOOOOO, with my stash of gift cards I bought new door knobs…exciting, I know!  

I used $75 worth of Lowe’s gift cards to buy the first 5 knobs (3 for bed/bathrooms and 2 closet knobs). Then I used my Amazon gift card to buy 4 more bed/bathroom knobs and 1 closet knob. Even without the gift cards, this project would have only cost about $140. I don’t think that’s too bad for something that completely modernizes your home. 

For those of you who want more how-to details, here ya go:

First, remove the old knob. Don’t forget the strike plate on the door frame! Just unscrew 6 screws (in any order) and you’re done!

Next, use 2 of the short screws to attach the bolt mechanism to the door.

Now it’s door knob time. Both sides of the knob should easily fit together through the bolt mechanism. Use the 2 long screws to attach the knobs. If you pull the knobs apart a little, you can see the holes and it’s easier to line up the screws.

Again, don’t forget the strike plate on the door frame!

If you get confused, look at one of your other doors to see which direction the pieces should go.

Honestly, I’m sure most of you can figure out how to replace a door knob by yourself. It’s not that complicated. I’m mostly sharing these instructions so you can see how it easy it is. Don’t be scared to do it yourself! Ladies, you don’t need to wait for your man to come home…you can do it! Once you replace a couple of them and get into the groove, you’ll be able to remove and install a knob in about 5 minutes. Seriously, you can do the whole house in under an hour (unless you live in a mansion with lots of bedrooms/bathrooms)! 

 

{Travel Tuesday} Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace

Today we are talking about one of my favorite stops on our trip – Windsor Castle! I loved everything about it and I’m so happy that I ended up with some great photos to remember it by.

Windsor Castle is outside of the city, so you either have to take a train or go with a tour group (assuming you don’t have a car). We took the train and I would highly recommend doing it that way.

The Great Western train leaves from Paddington Station. Four of the tube lines go through that station, so it’s really easy to access. Once you arrive at the station, just look for the Great Western trains – for us, it was up an escalator. The ticket machines are really easy to use and take cash/credit cards, so don’t bother waiting in line at the ticket counter. Just buy a round trip ticket to/from Slough. Check the screens to see what platform the next train to Slough is leaving from.

It takes about 30 minutes to get from Paddington to Slough. Once you arrive, look for the Windsor train platform. There’s only one and the train only goes to/from Slough and Windsor. It’s a short train ride and you can see the castle as you are approaching the station. Follow the signs through the shopping center and you’ll end up on the street at the bottom of the castle wall. Head up the hill and the entrance is at the top. It sounds more complicated than it really is; please don’t be scared about doing it yourself. 

You can buy tickets there, but we decided to buy a 3-day London Pass. You can read more about it here, but basically you pay for the pass and it’s your entrance ticket for most of the sights around London. We planned to visit a lot of places, so we ended up saving a lot of money with the pass. I’d recommend adding up the entrance fees for the sights you are planning to visit and compare it versus the price of the pass. Oh, and keep your eyes out for a sale. I bought ours during a 10%-off sale and saved almost £8 pounds/each. With the London Pass we saved about £40 pounds/each (about $64) over the 3 days of sightseeing! Plus, most places have a fast-track line or allow you to skip the line completely and head straight to the security line/entrance! Money and time savings! And no, I’m not affiliated with them in any way – I just love a good deal.

We got there around 10:30 a.m. because we wanted to see the Changing of the Guard at 11. Actually, that reminds me of my most important tip. Get there early! You’ll beat the crowds and have such a better experience. That goes for pretty much every sight in London. Anyway, during the off-season they only do the Changing of the Guard every other day, so check the schedule online before making any plans.

 

We watched most of the ceremony, but left early to head back to the top and start exploring. It was a great time to take pictures because everyone else was busy watching the rest of it. That’s how I got these pictures without other tourists in them.

We walked around outside and then went inside to see Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the State Apartments. We also walked through St. George’s Chapel – where Henry VIII is buried.

After we finished at the castle, we had lunch and took the train back to the city. Once we arrived back at Paddington Station we hopped on the tube to Kensington Palace.  Um, I wouldn’t recommend this…Windsor Castle is massive, full of beautiful paintings and furnishings, and just plain awesome. In comparison, Kensington Palace is plain. I’m sure it’s beautiful on its own, but it was kind of underwhelming after seeing Windsor Castle. I’d definitely recommend seeing them on separate days or just skip Kensington Palace if you are in London, but short on time. 

On the plus side, they do accept the London Pass and you can take pictures inside (no flash).

After quickly exploring the palace we sat in the garden and got chased by this little guy looking for handouts. The Kensington Garden area is nice, so I’d recommend spending your time out there instead of inside the palace.

Our last stop of the day was Harrod’s for a little shopping. Most of the items were WAY out of my price range, but they have an amazing food section that’s affordable and everything we tried was delicious. The white chocolate raspberry muffin was the best muffin I’ve ever had! They also had a great tea and chocolate selection. I bought a box of raspberry & vanilla tea and some strawberry white truffles. I wish I would have bought more chocolate to bring home!

Whew! Just typing all of that makes my feet ache thinking of all the walking we did that day! It was a busy day, but so much fun! Oh, and I can’t forget dinner – arguably the best meal of our entire trip!

That night we went to dinner at the pub across the street from our hotel – The Three Stags. Our expectations were low, but we were blown away by the food. We both ordered the wild pork & leek sausages with mash gravy and onion rings.  It was delicious – the picture definitely doesn’t do it justice!

Afterwards we washed it down with a brownie from Harrod’s and went to bed ready for day three!

Next Week: Tower of London and Westminster Abbey

 

{Travel Tuesday} Stonehenge and Bath

I’m back!

We had an amazing time in London and Paris and I can’t wait to share all of the pictures and details with you guys. At first I was just going to do a few recap posts, but I decided to write full-detailed posts once a week instead. While I was planning our trip I found other blogs’ travel posts to be really helpful, so hopefully my itinerary details and tips can help someone else with their planning. Plus it’ll be fun to look back at all of the details of our trip in a couple of years!

So, welcome to the first edition of Travel Tuesday!

We started our vacation with a group tour to Stonehenge and Bath. We took the Bath, Stonehenge, and Secret Places tour with The English Busand couldn’t have been happier with our experience. They definitely lived up to their excellent Tripadvisor ratings. Our guide Andrew was friendly, funny and very knowledgeable.

Our first stop was Stonehenge and it was incredible. The oldest section is estimated to be about 5000 years old. To put that in perspective, that’s 3000 years before Jesus was born - it’s hard to even comprehend that amount of time.

We listened to the audio guide and walked around the stones in awe of the mystery behind the site.

 

After seeing the size of the stones in person, I have no idea how they were able to move and arrange the rocks. My mom is convinced it was done by aliens.

After Stonehenge we headed to the beautiful city of Bath.

We had free time for lunch before our walking tour, so we stopped at Pasty Presto (recommended by Andrew) and ordered a traditional pasty. It was kind of like a portable beef stew pot pie and it was very good.

(source)

 

After lunch we all met up for a short walking tour around the city. Bath is full of beautiful buildings, most of which have planters full of bright flowers. I’ve never seen such healthy, beautiful flower arrangements…probably because I live in the desert!

 

The second picture is Bath Abbey. Did you notice the angels climbing up and down the ladders on both sides of the building?

After a little more free time in Bath, we headed back to London. On our way back to the city we stopped at the “secret places.” So far the internet hasn’t ruined the “secret places” secret, so I’m not going to tell you what they were. But I will say that they were very cool and worth the stop.

The trip was also a great chance to get outside of the city and see some of the English countryside.

I loved the houses with thatched roofs. Seriously, how cute is this place?!

And how amazing is this place? I want to live here!

We got back into London around 8:30 p.m. and Andrew was nice enough to drop everyone off near their hotel or by a tube station that was a direct line to their stop. We were the second to last to be dropped off, so we ended up getting a nice night tour of the city.

We had a great time on the tour and loved all of the locations. It was a great start to our trip and I would highly recommend The English Bus. They offer a couple of other tours, so check them out if you are going to London. 

Next week: Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace!