A London busker and random tears

On Monday I posted some photos from our most recent day strolling along South Bank.

 Here are just a few more.

This busker had such an amazing voice.

She sang with pure emotion and passion, she brought tears to my eyes.

And when lil' bit toddled up to show her appreciation and contribute a few coins,

my heart absolutely melted.

Look at that connection between the two.

Such a sweet moment.  I was thrilled to capture it.

Today my brother and dad are arriving and I am absolutely beside myself!

I started crying about two weeks ago at random moments and it's just escalated.

Today, I'll be a complete mess at Heathrow.

It's been two and a half years since I've seen them both.

We have a major road trip planned taking us through Wales,

Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England.

Oxford, Dublin, Belfast, Inverness, Edinburgh.

Giant's Causeway, Hadrian's Wall, Loch Ness and so much more.

I'm so stinking excited I can't even stand it!

I had big plans to pre-schedule some posts for while I'm away, but it's just not gonna happen.

So things will be quiet on the blog for the next week or so.

Feel free to follow along on Instagram as I take the trip of a lifetime

with the three smartest, funniest and most wonderful men I've ever known.
Such a lucky girl!

What made you cry tears of joy this week?

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SouthBank - Be a part of it!

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time

then you know that South Bank is one of our favorite ways to spend a day.

You can read about it here and here.  A few weeks ago, as the weather is turning nice,

we decided to head over that way and make a day of it.

There's an area of the Queen's Walk between the London Eye and Royal Festival Hall

that is full of buskers and street artists.  We see something new every time we go.

The bubble guy was surrounded by little ones chasing the bubbles and squealing with delight.

A split second after I took this picture this massive bubble flew right into my face and burst

leaving soapsuds all over me and my camera.  Then it was my turn to squeal and laugh.

Never too old to enjoy bubbles!

There's always a festival or special event going on along the banks.

This weekend there was a Spanish food and wine festival happening that brought out the crowds.

The Southbank Book Market under Waterloo Bridge is another favorite stop.

I noticed this time that there is a vendor selling maps from all over the world.

I might have to make a purchase there soon.  I love old maps.

And then there are the views.

When we were done we hopped on a Thames Clipper
and rode down the Thames towards home.

What's your favorite day out in London?

P.S.  Guess who's a finalist in the BrisMums Brilliance in Blogging Awards?!?

I'm a finalist in the Travel Category again this year.

I'm so proud and so appreciative of everyone who voted for me.

Thanks so much!  It means the world to me.  

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Exploring South Bank London

*I spent the morning exploring as a guest of southbanklondon.com.

When we lived over by Tower Bridge,

one of our favorite things to do was to stroll along the south bank of the Thames.

The area between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge is one of London's greatest attractions.
So much to see and do. Every time we walked along this route, I fell more and more in love with London.  

So when I received an invite from SouthBankLondon.com to spend a few hours exploring
just some of what South Bank has to offer I was happy to join them. 

I was always a little confused about what the area along the south bank of the Thames is actually called.  So I got a little clarification.  Generally, the area west of Blackfriars Bridge is called South Bank.  The area from Blackfriars Bridge to London Bridge is called Bankside and the area East of London Bridge is called London Bridge. 

On this particular warm day of exploring South Bank we started at the world renowned National Theatre for a behind the scenes look.  

 

Besides the fabulous productions offered by the National Theatre, you can also visit and take a backstage tour (£8.50) or a costume tour (£12.50).  There is a bookshop, bars and restaurants.  They even have a Costume and Prop Hire department.  Can you imagine the period costumes they have?  

The Shed which is a temporary venue in front of the National Theatre that will be open until February 2014.  It's an intimate theatre with 225 seats around a small stage.  A version of Romeo & Juliet for young audiences is running for the next few weeks that I'm hoping to go see.  Tickets are £12 and £20.  They also offer Family Workshops for a behind the scenes look at the production.  

After a ride on the London Eye (which has a separate post), we visited the Southbank Centre.   It's the UK's largest art center and there is always something creative going on.   They are currently celebrating a summer long Festival of Neighborhood through September 8th.  This festival celebrates neighborhoods and what makes them great.  A giant urban garden, allotments along the Queen's Walk, a greenhouse, foliage sculptures and wheelbarrow installation and more are all there for you to enjoy.

 

 London Wonderground is running until September 29th with circus, cabaret and sideshows.  We are hoping to go see Limbo in the next few weeks.  

These are just a few of the many festivals, performances, films, exhibitions and experiences that you can enjoy at South Bank.  Not to mention all of the restaurants and bars.  One of my favorites is Propstore.  It's a summer pop up bar that is built with props and sets from the National Theatre productions.  

 

The opportunities for fun are perfect for a day out in London.

And don't just take my word for it.
Emm in London recently wrote about the murals you see above.   

 What's your favorite find in South Bank?

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  *I was a guest of southbanklondon.com.  All photos and opinions are 100% my own.

As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.


You can find this review and many others in my
London Attraction Guide.