Jam-packed week

What a great week it's been! As I write this, I'm currently in defrost mode. Today was the first cooler day -- low 50s and tons of wind. It's been almost three years since I've walked for hours in this cooler weather, and since my body is still used to 100-degree heat, it was a shock to the system (but a good shock!).

Let's start with last week -- I spent some time in my local park, Greenwich Park, one of the eight royal parks in London. The Royal Observatory is here which is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the world. I took this picture with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one foot in the western. Pretty cool!

Greenwich Park also is home to the Royal Naval College and the Queen's House (built in 1616), which was the first classical building in England.

The royal family used to escape London for their Greenwich abode, as it was easy to travel here since it sits on the Thames. Greenwich Park and this house were popular hangouts for the Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

For my fellow dog lovers, you'll get a kick out of this:

A rubbish can just for dog poop. Loved that. And forget how happy the dogs are here - they run through the parks without leashes and are so well-behaved. Makes me miss my yittle manny ;)

I've been really excited to see the foliage change colors and this was the perfect day to capture it!

I couldn't stop snapping pics. The park's circumference is about 2.5 miles and I took pics throughout the entire loop. Then my iPhone died. Right before I found the Deer Wilderness area...it was incredible! There were roughly 20 deer - some with antlers and the others must've been Bambi's cousins. I got one pic before the phone died:

I'll go back soon as this is my outdoor gym, so I'll share more Bambi pics soon. A highlight for sure.

On Monday I visited Kensington Gardens, the home of Kensington Palace. Loved the swans. Such a serene atmosphere.

Kensington Palace is where Princess Diana lived from the 1980s until her death in 1997, and Prince William and Princess Kate are moving in here soon. I didn't realize it's open for touring, so I'll revisit soon.

Adjacent to Kensington Palace is Palace Green, known as Embassy Row. I walked right by the Israeli Embassy:

I then had to visit London's flagship Whole Foods (how could I resist?) - it was massive! Three floors and a food court:

They don't refrigerate eggs here (forgot to mention I bought some eggs from the local farm whilst in the country -- they just leave the eggs out and you leave coins in the bucket. It was the brightest yolk I'd ever seen and scrumptious as well).

By the way, I'm obsessed with this word. Just more fun to say and I get a kick out of seeing it near every "rubbish" can:

As I continued my Kensington stroll, I passed by this cafe and had to snap their dessert counter:

These gigantic meringues are all over the place here. It's the meringue invasion. I then arrived at the Natural History Museum. What a stunning building! 

By the way, I must emit a certain photographer energy, as many people of various ethnicities have asked me to snap their pic at the tourist sights. They don't speak much english so they just hold out their camera, smile and point to the button. Just a funny exchange each time. I then ask them to return the favor, which is brilliant ;) 

I spent a few hours here and really loved the mammal exhibit. They had a life-size replica of almost every mammal in existence, including a blue whale. The dinosaur exhibit was intriguing as well. Below is the kangaroo, in honor of my sissy ;)

On Tuesday I visited the Tower of London, which I was really excited to see. I heard that the queues get really long and the wait to see the Crown Jewels can be two hours. So...I have to give a shout out to my mom. When we visited Disneyland each year, my mom was a bit maniacal about arriving to the gate before it opened at 8am. She wanted to be first in line so we could run to the best rides first. Her father always said "the early bird catches the worm." So, in traditional Adler and Glueck fashion, I got up super early and rode the tube during rush hour. I highly don't recommend it. I speed walked to the entrance and was number seven in line. As soon the the Tower opened, I made a beeline for the Crown Jewels and was the first one there! It was fantastic touring the exhibit with barely anyone around so I could take my time and appreciate the details. The last window included the royal baptism basin and lily font, which will be used at the new prince's baptism.

I then joined a guided tour with a Yeoman Warder (known as a beefeater) and he shared some great stories. I, of course, stood in the front so I could pay attention, and then was suddenly pulled up in front of the 60-person crowd by the beefeater to reenact a story about Anne Boleyn. Yeah, that happened.

The infamous White Tower, which housed the prison and mint. The exhibit inside included the armor and artillary from those days:

 Armor of a giant and a boy:

This is Tower Green, where three queens were assassinated. Next to this site is the St. Peter ad Vincula chapel, where thirty bodies are buried, including Queen Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey.

It was such a fascinating experience, especially touching the walls of the white tower which was built in the late 11th century. I love how it's in the center of London, surrounded by modern architecture. Here's me and my fave bridge ;)

I have more to share but this post was long enough! I just wanted to mention my exciting news -- I booked a Contiki tour to Central Europe! It starts in Berlin on Nov. 9th and includes Prague, Vienna and Budapest. So pumped! The tour is for 18-35 year-olds so I'm sure it'll be a trip. More to come soon! xoxo