Visit Prince Harry's Homeland: Tour Incredible London, England!

In honor of Royal Prince Harry's visit to the Jersey Shore, I'm taking Patch readers across the pond for a tour of his hometown!  Welcome to London, England!  Britian welcomes all of us!

Close your eyes and recite this quote from "King Richard II" by William Shakespeare before we start:

"This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,

This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,

This other Eden, demi-paradise,

This fortress built by Nature for herself

Against infection and the hand of war,

This happy breed of men, this little world,

This precious stone set in the silver sea,

Which serves it in the office of a wall

Or as a moat defensive to a house,

Against the envy of less happier lands,--

This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."

This destination was the second stop of our whirlwind 12-Day Tour of France and England in 2007 which inspired eleven hours of walking per day - step, step, step...  We tried to cover as many of the 66 square miles as possible of this enchanting city cut in two by the Thames River and lined with beautiful gardens, parks, almost 20,000 historic buildings, and 200 museums. Oh my gosh - thanks to Sally @ TravelSmiths in Pt. Pleasant NJ we actually had a clue how to start!

After checking into The Hotel Royal Horseguards, we loved every minute as we walked through the heart of every place we had ever dreamed of:  Hyde Park, the Piccadilly Circus Area, Trafalgar Square and beyond...

We were exhilarated and somber all at once as we tracked to the great palaces of the City of Westminster. We went from Buckingham Palace, to Big Ben, to Winston Churchill's underground bunker in the Imperial War Museum, to Parliament and the iconic Victoria Tower (the largest square tower in the world!).

We actually stood outside the gates at 10 Downing Street as Tony Blair prepared to exit his residence on his last official day in office. The press was everywhere as his motorcade escorted him to Parliament to deliver his final speech. The new Prime Minister Gordon Brown was on the way... We couldn't believe it - historic sites and history in the making lit up this city all around us.

Then on to Shakespeare's Globe, Thames House, The National Gallery... and onward to the utterly amazing and haunting Westminster Abbey where world history, faith, all art forms, cultures, and the light and dark sides of humanity collide under one roof. I don't know how to explain it, but my husband Harry and I were both left with a strange sense of tension that lingered for hours after we finished this tour.

But no worries - a ten minute cab ride across London lightened the mood as we enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes Museum and later laughed uncontrollably as my Harry acted out a Sargent Pepper Trek across the real Abbey Road! As horns honked, we got the message that London locals would have much preferred we beat it home and "Let Them Be!"

The mind-boggling and gruesome history of the Tower of London stopped us in our tracks...  We were mesmerized and all day we missed our kids as we tried to imagine what their reaction would be to this unbelievable country.  I actually felt a tad ill as we passed through chambers filled with the olden day tools of torture in the White Tower. At some points, I literally walked off the tour to get some fresh air.

But the Tower Bridge and all its splendor of Victorian architecture was a beautiful diversion to focus on when the history of William the Conqueror got to be too much.  It was so emotional... One minute we were caught up in the artistic wonder of what we were staring at and in the next moment the history simply blew us away! It was intriguing and exhausting at times.

Then there we were with a view from the top-of-the-world on The Modern Day Eye - that huge Ferris Wheel built for the Millennium celebration! This wonderful experience superseded my fear of heights. Those who know me would absolutely call this a miracle! Oh yes - I have a rough time at the Grand Canyon and on that glass escalator in Trump Tower in NYC!  But here... I felt no fear. Encased by glass and encircled by this view, I was grateful for this moment.

We took buses through the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. On our way to Shakespeare's birthplace @ Stratford on the Avon and Exeter University in Oxford, our guide provided a great listening tour which successfully highlighted what was special about each suburb.

We loved it as we travelled through a collection of charming villages - each with its own unique history and character. To impress our Kate, we also shopped at Harrod's and had dinner at Gordon Ramsey's where we pretended we were the #1 Fans of his hit show, Hell's Kitchen.  Okay - it cost a tiny king's ransom to eat there, but we felt like royalty as we enjoyed ourselves like the English king and queen we wanted to be for just one night!

For me, our stop at London's 1400 year old St. Paul's Cathedral was a personal highlight of this summer journey. During our exploration of the massive Dome, all the Crypts and Galleries surrounding the Nave, and the Quire, this place of peace, retreat, and worship literally moved me to tears. Embraced by the beauty in this place, you could barely speak.

My Harry climbed the 163 steps to the incredible Whispering Gallery in the Dome itself. I did not. No steps for me after getting my rear-end stuck in the carved-out wall etchings in Arc de Triomphe in Paris when I stopped to take a rest in the smallest winding staircase I've ever subjected myself to…(yes- it really happened).  Just to be safe, I walked alone for a while on the ground-level.  Nothing could prepare me for what I would feel as I reached the back of this cathedral... nothing.

In back of one of the highest altars I'd ever seen and tucked behind the Roll of Honor in a place called the Apse is the American Memorial Chapel - the people of Britain built this chapel as a gift to America to honor our men and women who had fought for peace during World Wars I and II.

I stood silent inside this place of reverence with chills running up-and-down my spine as I read the inscriptions on the walls honoring those who gave all so others could live. It was humbling that our great nation the United States of America - had such a meaningful place inside this cathedral and her 1400 year history.

Every aunt, uncle, friend and stranger who had ever served in the Armed Forces found their way to me in this chapel and my heart was filled with their presence and warmth. What their sacrifices and service meant to people of other nations was never more succinctly clear to me.

This was my vacation moment.  A miraculous and all-consuming feeling swept me away to an incredible place unknown connecting every cherished dot in my life for the rest of time.  I was at peace.

When I exited that chapel to reunite with my husband, physically it felt as if I had just climbed the 163 steps to the Whispering Gallery with him.  I can't wait until my children kneel where my knees knelt on that beautiful June day in 2007.

I can't wait to return to Prince Harry's homeland!  In the meantime I just want to thank him for visiting our NJ barrier islands, for supporting Restore-the-Shore & for reminding me of the fantastic time I had at his Grandma's House - that is The Queen Mum's palace six years ago!!