A Proper British Birthday!

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, we celebrated Wheat's birthday during our glorious honeymoon. Leading up to our trip, I stressed a lot about whether or not to bring a gift for him (which would have been nearly impossible to cram into my stuffed luggage). Ultimately, I decided that our trip together was the best birthday present I could ever dream of giving him, but we still did a few special things to celebrate on...

Day 4

London, England

10,392 steps

Highlights: St. Paul's Cathedral, River Cruise on the Thames, The Lion King

The day began with a proper British breakfast (eggs, ham, toast, and bangers this time) before we set off for St. Paul's Cathedral. I didn't explore this gorgeous Baroque church on my last visit to London, so I was excited to do the full tour and finally see inside the iconic dome. Just like Westminster Abbey, pictures are not allowed inside the cathedral, but take my word for it: It was just as stunning inside as it is out. Although I enjoyed the history of Westminster more, I found St. Paul's to be more beautiful with its gorgeous paintings and breathtaking dome.

We wandered around the cathedral floor, admiring the altar and stopping periodically for prayers that were given by a priest on a microphone. Although I wasn't sure I could make it, we decided to venture up 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery, the interior vantage point in the dome. It was well worth the effort to see the cathedral floor from that high up. From there, we made the decision to go to the Stone Gallery, the outdoor viewing gallery on the dome. This was up another 119 steep, narrow steps - so narrow that once you decide to go, you aren't allowed to turn back. I was huffing and puffing by the time we reached the top, but the incredible views of downtown London exceeded my expectations. I decided to forego the 152-step trip up to the Golden Gallery and Wheat was also forced to skip it once he saw the huge school trip making the climb.

After the dome, we made our way to the crypt to see the tombs of Horatio Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Christopher Wren (the architect of St. Paul's), and Arthur Sullivan (composer of Gilbert and Sullivan fame). We were starting to feel hungry at this point and the crowd of professional Londoners enjoying their lunch break on the cathedral steps confirmed it was time for lunch. We stopped at a nearby cafe for a quick bite and some Wimbledon on the TV (Serena happened to be playing).

With full bellies, we ventured across the Millennium Bridge, which must have been rebuilt after the Death Eaters destroyed it in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Seriously though, the bridge, which led us straight to Shakespeare's Globe Theater, provided another gorgeous vantage point of St. Paul's.

Much to our dismay, we didn't have time to catch a Shakespearean play at the Globe. Instead, we bought a couple tickets for a quick river cruise on the Thames and laughed at the guide's commentary along the way. He pointed out the real London Bridge before talking about the Tower Bridge, the iconic one that everyone mistakenly refers to as the London Bridge. Guilty. We hopped off at the Tower of London and took a short stroll across half of the bridge and around the historic castle before taking the tube back to our hotel to freshen up.

Weeks earlier, I made birthday dinner reservations at Hawksmoor Seven Dials, a swanky steakhouse in the West End. Getting there proved to be an adventure in and of itself because, instead of trusting our gut and taking the tube, we decided to follow the advice of our hotel owner and take a double-decker bus. It was raining, we got stuck in traffic, and I decided to wear the most slippery flip-flops known to man. Once we got off the bus, we couldn't find the restaurant, so we wandered around in the rain for a bit before finally asking for help. I abandoned my shoes and decided to walk barefoot rather than fall and break my face and/or camera. It sounds romantic to walk barefoot on the rainy streets of London, but I assure you - it's not.

Fortunately, dinner was wonderful. The steak was delicious, even by American standards, and you can't beat two potato sides. I told the staff we were on our honeymoon and they gave us free prosecco to celebrate. The atmosphere was great with low lighting, candles, soft music, and the most handsome guy in the world sitting across from me.

For Wheat's birthday, we bought tickets in advance to see The Lion King in the West End. We had some time to kill before the show, so we busted out our ultra-attractive ponchos and made our way over to the Lyceum Theatre. We stopped for gelato along the way, of course. What's a birthday without ice cream?

The show was incredible. Somehow, I'd never seen it and I was absolutely blown away by the set, the "animals," the voices, everything. It kind of defies explanation, but if you're ever going to see one Broadway show, I'd definitely recommend this one. Of course, I loved the popular songs from the movie, but I was enthralled by the original music for the stage production. I was amazed every time they brought out a new animal and got chills several times. Hello, "Circle of Life." We were seated in the upper level, but the view was great and it felt like the perfect way to celebrate both Wheat's birthday and our honeymoon.

After the play, we made our way back to the hotel, only to find a little surprise in our room left by the hotel owner. I'd emailed him a few weeks earlier to arrange it and I felt good about doing a little surprise something for Wheat. If it were up to me, I'd celebrate him every single day.