Loose in London

Look out people, Rob’s got the reins………so, from time to time I will take over the updates for those (un)fortunate souls who are taking this crazy journey with us.  This is my first official blog entry so please let me know what you like or don’t like as I will probably just blow a big raspberry and keep doing what I do!  I do thank you for tuning in though and I promise I will try to keep it short, sweet, and eventful.

How can we possibly feel that we’ve seen London and introduced the boys to it without living here for several months or a year at least?  This is how our minds are working as we race around trying to make sure we don’t leave anything out that they just HAVE to experience!  Since we have finally gotten out of purgatory (or Quarantine, some would say), our days have been full!

Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey, the Horse Guards band drilling (does that include playing?  They were), Spittalfields Market, walking all over London and going in 2 dozen shops trying to find the correct type of contact solution that the TSA stole from me in NYC (don’t even get me started, contact solution? Really?) and this was just the first day out in the real world again!

The Natural History Museum and Harrods were next on the list and both were fantastic!  Can’t even begin to tell you about the grandeur of the museum building itself, much less the exhibits.  It really was worth seeing and yes, the boys did get tired of museuming, but the Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them exhibit really got their attention.  There were also unbelievable dinosaur bone displays and a huge whale hangs over the main hall!  A great time was had by all!

Is it possible to go to London and not visit Harrods?  Oh, I think not.  No, I am not a shopper, but come on…This place is just incredible.  If you can think it, they probably sell it.  They had E-series Indy cars in the display window!  The boys loved the electronics and gaming floor the best, yes, I said floor (there are 6, maybe more).  It’s just a fun place to go shop, even if you don’t buy a thing.  Well, ok, so we might have bought some cupcakes from the chocolate shop.  I mean, we did need to replenish a few calories after all that walking!  Gotta keep our strength up!

St. Dunstan’s in the East.  It’s really hard for me to tell you how much this little place means to Aimee and I.  First of all, I know that it’s one of her “happy” places in London.  Secondly, it was one of those places that she really wanted me to see when we came together and lastly, it is just one of those supercool places that people don’t always think about then they think about London.  There has been a church building on that location since Saxon times.  When I read that in the plaque, it just set me back and made me think.  Wow.  And the grounds are just so peaceful and serene.  In the middle of all the chaos that is London, this little piece of calm is just a great place to visit and take a few minutes to catch your breath.  I hope the boys understood that feeling but I think it will take time for them to know. 

The London Fire Memorial Tower was closed, but we did take a few minutes to see and read the history.  I was somewhat bummed because I really did want to have the boys climb the 311(?, I think it is) steps to the top (Aimee and I have had our turns on past trips).  It’s a great climb and a cool view from the top, sorry they couldn’t experience it this time. 

Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Borough Market for lunch, Hay Market for gelato afterwards.  Check, check, check, check.  What a day this was!  We did have a blast, even though there is still a lot closed due to Covid restrictions.  The markets are open, but times seem to be restricted and a lot of the merchants are not back yet either.  Not to say it wasn’t packed full of people because Borough Market was a madhouse, but that’s the beauty of it.  So much to see – food, people, and goods from all around the world.  Can be overwhelming just trying to decide where to eat lunch. Love it!

Then there was the greatest day of the year, Father’s Day, of course.  Did I have a great one?  Ha, glad you asked!  It was superb!  My only regrets are that ALL of my children are not here to share it with me and that I could not share it with my own father.  Still, I am in London and there was fun to be had!  We planned to spend the day in Camden Town and Hampstead Heath, alas, plans change and sometimes for the better.  Camden was just too much fun to leave.  We spent a good bit of time in Camden Market because there are just so many cool shops that it’s really hard to leave!  Then we had to have some of the amazing food from one of the dozens of vendors from all over the world, and people watch in one of the greatest places ever to do so!  We had a really good time in the market, then I have always wanted to see the locks in the canals, so we went and found Camden Locks.  Then I was granted a fantastic Father’s Day wish and we all went for a 90 minute tour in a canal narrow boat.  I have to say that it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, and I would live in a narrow boat on a canal if I could…maybe one day I will.  I loved every minute of the tour and it was a great Father’s Day!

Last but not least in my list of so far we’ve done and seen…. Kew Gardens today.  It rained.  Then it rained some more.  And then it started to rain.  Get the picture?  Didn’t matter.  It was still a great trip out to Kew.  The boys rode the tube for the first time here and thought it was great and the botanical gardens were soggy but still majestic.  It was also cold enough at one point that we could see our breath (at about 4p).  The boys had a ball in the children’s garden though because they have a lot of really cool things to climb and jump on (like big rubber balls that look like planets) and they now believe that English parents really don’t care for their children’s health b/c all the play equipment seems to be a bit more dangerous than they are used to in the US.  They had a blast though! This was way too long, I know, sorry.  If you stayed with me, Thanks!  If not, well ***insert Raspberry***! Have a great day!