Back to London!!!

Yes, yes, yes!! It's almost time you guys. Soon enough, I will be in London!! That's right, #RayRaysLondonVacay is about to go down. I am beyond excited and literally cannot wait. I have been dying to go back to London ever since I visited it three years ago on my first trip to Europe. It was by far my favorite city on that trip and I was really fascinated with it. The city was vibrant, modern, and active, plus English is the first language. I couldn't get enough of it. And I can't wait to be back. <Insert Joey Tribiani Voice> "London, baby!!"

Even though I wanted to re-visit London immediately after my first time, I also wanted to cross off some other European cities on my list before repeating one. Traveling isn't cheap after all, and I want to see as much as I can, before repeating cities; however, London was special to me so I had to make an exception this time. Again, I worked really hard all winter (Hello State championship!) so wanted something special and this was going to be it.  I also didn't want to wait long to reward myself because then it would never happen. I am a person who likes (read: needs) instant gratification in many aspects of my life, and this was no different. I usually go home to Chicago for break which is great and all, but I wanted to go somewhere else; someplace vacation-y. I was trying to decide between Mexico (Puerto Vallarta or Cancun) or London. One is cheaper and more relaxing and the other was more expensive, a little further, but has a ton more to see and do. After going back and forth a million times, I settled on London. YOLO, right? Once the decision was made, I impulsively bought airplane tickets and booked a hotel all in the span of a few hours. I knew if I didn't bite the bullet and make the purchases, I wouldn't go through with it because parting with my hard-earned money isn't easy. But again, I felt I earned this. As soon everything was finalized, I began my countdown, the excitement began to build, and of course, all the planning started.

Because I have been to London before, I think I still have a little sense of where things are. I am hoping once I get there, I'll get my bearings fairly quickly (fingers crossed) and pick up right where I left off, in love with the city and ready to take it as much as I can. I have a lot of things planned and made an itinerary for myself (Hello, type-A personality!!) so I don't forget anything. I plan to squeeze a million things in my five days there (and this time around, I will have my FitBit letting me know how much ground I covered too).

So what do I have planned on this trip? Well, so glad you asked. Thanks. Of course, I have to visit a ton of the regular tourist attractions (Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, etc...) again, but I also booked an excursion to Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle and I may do another day trip to Oxford or Cambridge as well. I also purchased tickets to the Tower of London which I didn't do last time because I didn't want to "waste" the time. Since I've been on the London Eye, I am skipping that but if it's clear outside I plan to go to the Top of the Shard for an aerial view of the city. I say it all the time, but I'm a sucker for an aerial view of a big city. I love it.

I'm also going to take a spin class or two at a local studio (Psycle) and obviously get in my morning runs. I am SOOOO excited for these because I only got to run once last time I was there and it was incredible.  Prepare for a quite a few foot pics (and lots of non-foot pics) on IG and hopefully a sunrise pic or two. And of course, I hope to eat some good food there this time. Last time I was there, I was not thrilled with British food, but there was a heatwave and I was so hot and tired and not feeling much of any type of food. Because of that, I had Pret almost everyday for lunch and dinner. It's not bad, but I would like to try some new things time around, and fish and chips again. Duh. (And if I'm really struggling to find something (I'm sure this is doubtful) and am craving something delicious and familiar, there IS a Shake Shack there. Score.) There is also a place called Borough Market that I read about that seems right up my alley with lots of food choices.

Anyway, as I typed this out and went back and re-read my London posts from my first trip, my excitement continues to grow. I hope I can sleep on my red-eye flight (with the help of Tylenol pm) or else I will crash and burn my first day there and I don't have time for that. Holler if you have any recommendations for me regarding anything fun/special to see, do, or eat. I am very open to suggestions! I plan to write everyday while there so stay tuned and take this journey with me through IG, FB, and this blog.