Royal Baby #2

Guys, I’m obsessed.  As I waited with anticipation for the Royal Baby last week, I shared how London stole my heart a few years ago.  I’m fascinated by the entire Royal Family. 

I woke up Saturday morning to the news that a Royal Baby Girl had been born and I was literally ecstatic!  A new baby princess!!!  I immediately dove into live coverage and saw the official announcement made at Buckingham Palace and the Town Crier announcing the birth. Then Prince William left the hospital to pick up George and introduce him to his new baby sister. When they returned, William told George to wave to the crowd and it was the sweetest thing, ever!

A few hours later, William and Kate came out of the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital to present their new daughter to the world.  The couple was glowing and looked lovingly at their daughter as they waved to the media and fans.  Kate looked absolutely flawless, as usual, just 10 hours after giving birth.  I hope she was able to change into some sweats, relax and enjoy her babies at home! 

I was so happy to be able to watch it all, just like I did for the wedding and when Prince George was born!  Thank goodness for NBC and their live stream!

Congratulations to William and Kate on their beautiful baby girl!
Welcome to the world, little princess!!! I can't wait to hear what your parents decided to name you!

UPDATE:  The little princess' name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana!  She will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.  

How sweet and beautiful is that name?  I love the tribute to both Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana!   

How London Stole My Heart

When I was 21 years old I set off on my first European adventure. And I was doing it alone. I say first because even though I was born in Germany we moved back to the states before I could crawl, so that doesn’t really count, memories wise! It was the summer after my junior year of college and I was heading to London to intern in the marketing department of a water supply company. That part of my experience was great, but as you can imagine, the portion of my trip that really spoke to me was getting to explore London at my leisure.

I started planning this adventure in the midst of the Royal Engagement and the Royal Wedding. This only added to my excitement. I was among the crazed Americans who woke up early that April morning to watch the live stream of such a historical event. I missed being in London for the wedding by exactly two weeks and I’m still bummed about it.

Filled with nerves and excitement, I was in no way prepared for how this experience would change and awaken my soul. To say I fell in love with London is an understatement. I’m completely fascinated with everything about it- the country, the city, the culture, the Royal Family, the history, the architecture, the shopping…everything.

When I stepped foot in London for the first time I was getting off the train at Waterloo Station. When I walked to Trafalgar Square, through the Admiralty Arch and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace I think I spun around with my arms wide in all my glory. I couldn’t believe I was there- standing in the middle of the road William and Kate had paraded down after their wedding and staring at the balcony where they shared their first kiss as husband and wife (which is much smaller than I thought). It was surreal. The Mall, which is the road leading down to Buckingham Palace, was still decorated with beautiful flags from the wedding.

I remember being mesmerized as crowds formed in front of the palace and around the Victoria Memorial for the Changing of Guards. This happens every morning. The guards march from the barracks down and around the Mall to change duty at the Palace. This fascinated me. We don’t have anything like it in the states. Some of the guards have instruments and play music as they’re marching, others are holding weapons. The units are led with officers on horseback and the horses themselves are the most angelic creatures I’ve ever seen- all perfectly groomed and matching in color, size and stature. Within my first 2 hours of ever being in the city I was completely awestruck. This might have been my favorite cultural experience of the entire trip. A must see, for sure!


The infatuation grew from there as I continued to explore. I remember walking through St. James’ Park to West Minister Abbey and standing in the spot where the world saw Kate in her wedding dress for the first time. I walked in the Abbey and down the aisle with my jaw scrapping the floor. The elegance was radiating off the walls and I could still hear the choir boys singing the hymns. I even saw the red chairs the Royal Couple sat in during their ceremony.
I couldn’t believe that as I exited through the side door and looked to my right, there he was- Big Ben- directly across the street. I couldn’t believe how close “he” was to the bridge- almost as if you could reach out and touch it. You really can’t, but I just felt like it was that close. I walked across the bridge and remember that I couldn’t take enough pictures- wanting to look at the iconic landmark from every angle. I couldn’t get over the detail of the architecture and design of Big Ben and Houses of Parliament. It was seriously amazing. In fact, the entire city is filled with similar detail- detail I had never noticed anywhere else. The architecture of all the buildings from Houses of Parliament to the Justice Building, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, even Harrod’s and everything little place in between gave the city such rich character. 
Don’t even get me started on the wonder of the crown jewels. Oh their beauty is worth a trip to London. Unfortunately you can’t take pictures, but I can remember them. Big, beautiful, glistening diamonds and colorful jewels guarded in the Tower of London by Yeomen Warders (“Beefeaters”). Beefeaters are retired military personnel that guard and also serve as tour guides of the Tower.

I found joy in seeking the Royal Coat of Arms on a building or business’ branding signifying a Royal Warrant of Appointment.  This means that members of the Royal Family do business with that particular company.

Kensington Palace

I immersed myself in the English culture- learning everything there was to know about the Royal Family and how it all worked. I ate lots of curry, which is very popular, and of course lots of fish and chips. My favorite drink was Pimms, which I brought home with me and have now seen in some places in the states! I even took a Polo Lesson one day.

London definitely changed me, but I also think it was the experience of traveling alone that I truly embraced. It gave me a whole new perspective, allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and really opened my eyes and my soul. My heart races at the sight of the city- in pictures, in words, in memories. London will always have a piece of my heart and I dream of the day I return.
I’m ridiculously excited to travel to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Czech, and Austria in a few weeks. I wonder if this experience will rock my world the way London did. I have a feeling Germany sure will, since I’ll be seeing where I was born and a glimpse of the life my parents lived when they were my age (actually a few years younger) living abroad.

Cheers!

Images may be pinned and shared, but please give proper credit.

A ROYAL BABY!!!!

Congratulations to William & Kate on the birth of their son, Prince of Chambridge!

Back in May 2011, just 2 weeks after the Royal Wedding, I went to London for an internship.  It was the best experience of my life, to date.  I keep telling myself I'm going to blog about it and first got the idea to start a blog while there.  I wanted a place to document my experience and adventures but stuck to an old fashioned journal which I still love to read every once in a while.  

To say I fell in love with London/England is an understatement.  I fell in love with everything about it.. the country, the city, the culture, The Royal Family, the shopping, the pubs...everything.  I learned more than I could have imagined and was especially fascinated with The Royal Family!!  Their whole family and line to the throne was something I found so intriguing since we don't have anything like that in America!

Ever wonder why there's currently no king?! It's because Queen Elizabeth's husband, Phillip, is Royal by marriage. He can't be of higher power than Elizabeth!  He is referred to as Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh.  But Kate can some day be Queen when William is King! Some may think that's common sense but this is the sort of thing that fascinated me in London!  Who knew?

Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace

The Royals were a big topic of conversation while I was there.  I'm not sure if it's because I kept asking questions or because everyone was still on a high from the Royal Wedding (like I said, I was there 2 weeks later- London was still decorated head-to-toe in William and Kate and I'm still upset I missed it)!

Westminster Abbey- where Wills & Kate got married!!

There was also a lot of talk about William & Kate's future children.  Lots of people said she'd be pregnant within a year because now her main (possibly only) duty was to produce an heir and a spare.  With that there were a lot of questions/concerns.  At this time the rules of royal recession stated that the first born male will become the heir to the throne- meaning that if William and Kate's first born was a girl and then they had a son, the son would supersede the girl as heir to the throne. Poor girl. This hasn't been an issue for generations though. When King George VI became king in 1936 after his father died and older brother abdicated/resigned his duties, he only had daughters (Elizabeth and Margaret) to be the heirs to the throne. If King George had had a younger brother, he would have remained the heir to the throne and Queen Elizabeth would have never been queen! Fascinating. It's all mind boggling, yet so interesting!!!

Then Queen Elizabeth had a first born son (Charles) and then Charles' first born was also a son (William).  So though times were different then (aka women's rights weren't as president as they are today-well you know what I mean) it was never an issue that a younger son would become heir to the throne over an older daughter.

Today, it is an issue.  So before it could become controversial and in an attempt to modernize the monarchy, The United Kingdom changed the rules of royal recession in October 2011.  The rules now state that the first born, regardless of gender will be the heir to the throne.  So before this little prince was even born, we knew it would be the heir to the throne no matter what gender it was or the gender of future siblings.

This is Kensington Palace.  The palace is located near Hyde Park about 2.5 miles away from Buckingham Palace.  This will be the official residence of William, Kate & the Baby Prince!

Kensington Palace!!

UPDATE:  I loveeed watching the announcement of the Royal Baby's birth be placed on the easel outside of Buckingham Palace and then watching William & Kate present the Royal Baby to the world as they left the hospital all via livestream (thanks to E!)  It's all so fascinating to me!

Such a beautiful Royal Family!!!! :)

 Writing this post made me miss everything about London even more.  I can't even describe in words the amazing time I had in that city and how much love I have for it!  Sometimes I even think about naming a future child to reflect the city, what it means to me and everything I learned while there.  Names like London and Kensington would be my top choices!  And though it's only been a few hours, we still don't know the name of this little prince and future King, but I hope it doesn't take a week for them to announce like it did when William was born .  They had 9 months to prepare.

Welcome to the World precious little Prince!! I can't wait to first hear your name, see a picture of you and then watch you grow, totally not in a creepy way!!

UPDATE: And now, only 2 days later, we know that the precious little prince's name is  
George Alexander Louis 
and will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.
I personally think Prince Alex would have been a cuter, more modern name for the little prince, but to each his own.  The name George is a wonderful fit and beautiful tribute to his ancestors and past kings!

CHEERS!!!!