Inky Marina!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. I went on a fantastic adventure to Europe! In this photo, I've just arrived in London and am riding the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station.  I went with my parents to visit family.  My aunt, uncle, and cousin live in London.  You might remember me posting about my aunt and uncle's wedding a few years ago if you're a longtime reader!



On my last trip to London, I didn't do as much sightseeing because my family was celebrating my aunt and uncle's wedding! This time, I was determined to do more.  My first stop was at the Sylvanian Families shop in Highbury! I took a photo in the exact same place as I did in December 2013. Do you think I'm taller than in this photo?




I think I am! You can read about my last visit to the Sylvanian Families shop at this link.  I bought some new toys, which I'll share in another entry because I haven't opened them yet!



Freya Chocolate is a really cool bunny toy who lives at the shop. During my last visit, she was wearing a Christmas dress!  My family had really nice weather while we were in London, but it did rain so I was wearing wellies.



The Sylvanian Families shop has lots of cute displays.  You can't really play with them, but they did give me lots of inspiration for playing at home! The store keepers are very nice.  I made sure to pick out gifts for friends and a new Sylvanian family for myself.



After I finished my shopping, my auntie walked with me to the Underground, which is London's subway system. She had something special to show me- something I really wanted to see on my last trip but didn't get a chance.  We got off at the Covent Garden stop.  After quick stop at Aspinal of London, we arrived at our destination! Do you see that metal bridge in connecting the two buildings in the background of this photo? That's the Bridge of Aspiration that connects the Royal Ballet's Upper School to the Royal Opera House! It twists high above Floral Street.  I was so excited to see it!



After I admired the Bridge of Aspiration, we walked around a corner to find the Royal Opera House's shop. I bought a few trinkets there and then continued to the ROH itself! See the building behind me? It's so big that it wouldn't fit in the photo! I was happy to not only see the Royal Opera House flag flying, but also a Pride flag! My family was there during Pride month, so we saw Pride flags all over the city.



This is me with the Royal Opera House's red flag flying behind me. Unfortunately, we had just missed ballet season- but that just means we'll have to come back!



The doors to the Opera House are big and glass. I have been to performances at Lincoln Center in New York City (where I live) and in Kharkov, Ukraine.  Someday, I'll walk through these doors and see a performance of the Royal Ballet!



After we had explored the area around the Opera House a bit more, my aunt walked us down to the Strand. In New York City, the Strand is a big, used bookstore. In London, it's a street! My aunt took us to Somerset House, which has a huge courtyard with dancing fountains. Can you see them behind me? I had been wishing I hadn't worn my rain boots, but now I was thrilled!



When I was done playing in the fountains, I was really, really tired. It had been a long day! We decided to walk across Waterloo Bridge and catch the Underground (or "tube") back to my aunt and uncle's house.



Look at the view west from Waterloo Bridge! Wow! Do you recognize anything? The ferris wheel is called the London Eye and it is so, so big! Behind it are the Houses of Parliament with the Elizabeth Tower rising above it. The big clock on the Elizabeth Tower is called Big Ben! The last time I was in London, I didn't see the River Thames at all, so it was very exciting to see it now.



My Mama took this last snap of me in front of the London Eye- can you make it out faintly on the left side of the photo? It turned out to be the last photo of me in London on our trip! My family got so busy that we didn't take out the camera again.

After a week in London, it was off to our next stop! I'm pretty most of you have guessed already where that was!

Have you ever been to a big city like London? Which city did you go to and what did you see?