London, England: Part II

Our second day in London was one of the busiest days I've experienced so far abroad but it was also one of the best. We fit in so much stuff in one day and I was pretty impressed with how much we were able to see.  Our morning and afternoon consisted of us strolling along the River Thames, riding the London Eye and seeing iconic Buckingham Palace. [Beware: This post contains LOTS of photos!]

We also visited the famous Kings Cross Station from the Harry Potter movies and Stephanie took a photo at "Platform 9 ¾", flying scarf and all. While there, we ate a late lunch at a unique pub, The Parcel Yard, where we were able to indulge in some delicious beer and fish and chips.

After our late lunch, we decided to head on over to Oxford Circus, a popular shopping district in London. Little did we know that this specific weekend was a huge shopping weekend, similar to Black Friday back home in the U.S. When we we got off the tube, we were confronted with tightly packed crowds and limited walking space. If you didn't know already, I loathe crowds so I was a bit stressed dealing with all those people but the streets were adorned with shimmering Christmas decorations that hung from the buildings above, so that made it a bit more enjoyable ;). Later on in the night, we met up with one of Stephanie's friends who was studying broad in London. He showed us Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, the West End and Soho, where we eventually ate a late dinner at an American themed restaurant called The Diner. 

The next day was Sunday and since my flight left in the afternoon, we decided to get up early and squeeze in a visit to Abbey Road. If you didn't know already, The Beatles recorded almost all of their albums at the Abbey Road studios and the famous 1969 Abbey Road album cover was shot right down the street from the studio. Stephanie is a huge Beatles fan and we both really wanted to visit the notorious street and cross the iconic crosswalk featured on that cover. We even took photos crossing the street "imitating" the album cover! 

Shortly after our visit to Abbey Road, I had to head off to the airport for my flight home to Germany. I have to admit, I loved London way more than I thought I would. My weekend there was so short but I enjoyed it immensely, despite my mishap in the beginning. There is so much to see and do in London and I can't wait to go back someday so I can explore some more!

Have you visited London? What was your favorite attraction/memory?