It’s exactly two months ago when we took a short but lovely visit to England. In the days leading up to our London trip, we started to get anxious when Queen Elizabeth’s death hit the headlines. The pressure comes from the big crowd flocking to London, and us cramming too many sightseeing and experiences into a short timeframe. Learning from past experience, we quickly came to terms that this trip to England has to be its own – it couldn’t be a replication of anyone else’s. 

Though we did not join the long line to pay the final respect, our visit during this historical moment led us to appreciate how much influence the queen had on the people in England and around the world. From Green Park to Buckingham palace, almost each tree was surrounded with piles of flowers, cards, and pictures; People talked about Queen’s life mourning her death wherever they went. Queen’s portraits were hanging everywhere, from every shop’s show window to the front pages of newspapers and magazines. 

We enjoyed everything that this wonderful city has to offer in this trip. Kids love the double-deck buses that use the friendly oyster card. We were all amazed by Londoners’ polite behaviors and charming personalities. People will sit by the window, leaving the isle seat to other people. Compared to other cities we had visited in Europe, there are more authentic Chinese restaurants in London – which is out of question a yummy bonus. 

Our first day in London was basically wading through swarm of people. We went to many landmarks along the Thames River, including the Big Ben, London Eye, and Tower Bridge. It has become our tradition to hop on a cruise – a quick way to attach some background stories to the real landmark in front of us. The transition from a vertical view to a landscape view is quite smooth if one gets a combined ticket through Last minute London Eye website. These beautiful landmarks are all must see. 

We started the second day with sky walks on the Tower bridge. Speaking of which, we might all have been misled by the popular kids song of “London Bridge is falling down”. We thought that London bridge in the song must be the most recognized bridge in the United Kingdom, if not the world. Surprisingly, the real London Bridge has been demolished and rebuilt in a city in Arizona.

Instead, the London Bridge’s neighbor, the Tower Bridge that was never “falling down” is truly a magnificent one. The construction of this bascule bridge was seen as the technical marvel of its age, with the roads move like two giant seesaws and pivot to open and close the bridge. It still works today and looks perfect from outside to inside. 

In the afternoon, we went to the Harry Potter Studio to cross off the kids’ wishlist. Many people usually go to the platform 9 ¾ shop at the King’s Cross Train Station first before going to the studio so that they could be fully equipped with robs and wands. Though we did not go to the shop, I guess there are more interesting souvenirs than the studio. The studio focuses on how to make the movie with unbelievable scenes. Call on all Harry Potter fans, big or small, to visit the studio and let the imagination sparks.

Our first two days in London weren’t filled with photos of us posing in front of famous sightseeing spots. Instead, we looked and listened closely. On the third day, we were drawn to a less populous rural area, Cotswolds. 

Cotswolds, also called “The heart of England”, is home to some of the prettiest villages in the UK. We rented electric bikes and made a loop trip around the area. Stopping at Bibury for a traditional afternoon tea, we were obsessed with ‘The most beautiful village in England’.  The Arlington Row is the wonderful stone buildings strung out along banks of a creek that were built 700 years ago. I don’t blame myself for forgetting to take a lot of photos there – the village is just too enjoyable to hide my eyes behind the camera. Needless to say, biking there is a cherry on the cake – it gets you to places comfortably and makes it feel like you are part of a painting. 

Even though we enjoyed every second of our vacation in England, we didn’t have time to cross off all items from our bucket list. But when looking back, all the magnificent scenes and unique experience became even more vivid. I guess it is because

England, you were unforgettable.