In 2006, Markus and I made our first international trip together. We just had our second wedding (another story for another time) and we were able to plan a honeymoon abroad. For as long as I could remember, I wanted to go to London and Markus being the amazing guy that he is, agreed. we spent a short six days there, but it was a life changing trip, it was the start of ten years of traveling and adventuring with my best friend. I didn't think we would be make it back to London, but we managed to visit two more times in ten years. I do have to admit that my love of London has diminished a bit over time. I still think it's a great city, but the charm fades with each visit. I think it has a lot to do with the other cities in the UK, but more on that below.
We didn't plan on going back this last winter, but our dearest and closest Korean little brother Junnie moved to England and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see him. Despite leaving Korea over four years ago, we still keep in touch with Junnie and talk quite often. I'm glad that we fit in this short trip to London. Not only did we get to see a dear friend, but we also came full circle with our first international trip.
When we first visited London, I didn't think anything could possibly be better, but then we went to Edinburgh and that all changed. I still think London is great, but there are so many other cities and towns in the U.K. that don't get as much exposure. I feel the same way about London as I do about New York City. It's a great place to visit, but I don't think I could ever live there. There's just too much going on and it's very fast paced. I do like a city feel, but I want it to feel a bit more accessible and not so busy.
In order to make this visit feel different than past visits, we decided to do some things we didn't do in the past. Despite visiting two times before, we never walked along the Thames and never saw Big Ben and the London Eye at night. Thank goodness we were able to get that night view this time. It was absolutely stunning at night and there is definitely a different feel than during the day. Even though, we've seen Big Ben countless times, it's still nice to stop by. Even though we've been to London a couple times, there's always something new to see and is city that will continue to surprise you.
